


A Force Called Love

by vizzx



Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: 1950s Slang, Adult Dipper Pines, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Bill Cipher Being Bill Cipher, Human Bill Cipher, I Don't Even Know, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I'm Bad At Summaries, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Like, Lols, M/M, Minor Candy Chiu/Dipper Pines, Minor Injuries, Minor Violence, Mob Boss Bill Cipher, Murder, No Smut, Not Good, Original Character(s), Sorry Not Sorry, Tags Are Hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-14
Updated: 2019-12-17
Packaged: 2020-08-23 09:54:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 29,160
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20240920
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vizzx/pseuds/vizzx
Summary: Dipper's dreams lead him to New York where he hopes to fulfill his career as an editor.He arrives in the city he's dreamt for forever but every thing goes downhill from there at the very beginning.The least he expected to happen, for a starter, was to become friends with a cold blooded killer, not to mention to find himself in a story of his own with that dangerous man which neither of them had an Idea how would end.





	1. A Welcome Dish

**Author's Note:**

> Okay. I may not be the best of writers, but this is a little story I've been thinkin about for a while and eventually went down with the Idea of writing it and posting it.  
Hope you have hell of a time reading it.

Dipper Pines locked his newly acquired apartament in the city of New York. He was quite proud of it since he did not need to borrow any money from his relatives for help. It was his and only his. With two bedrooms, vast living room with an excellent view of the skyscrapers and almost professional kitchen, the jewell was in the city centre itself.

He put down the three suitcases he'd taken from California into the master bedroom, which also had a really nice location. It looked cozy and warming. Even the desk he had asked for was place right there where he wanted. It was perfect. The brunette was on the small wooden chair and started to write an epistle to Mabel.

In the evening, when all was set up, he made a phone call to an old friend. She shared many memories with the twins in the small town in Oregon Gravity Falls. The three of them had the best of memories. Then the war came and destrited them. Five years without hearing from her was eternity for the Pines kids.

"I got it Tad, don't worry. Now cut the gas, will ya?" Ah, here it was. How much he missed the shouts of that soft silk voice. What else could possibly make your evening better? "Yes?" 

"Hi, dolly." He greeted cheerfuly. "I do apologize for calling late, but I had a lot of unpacking." 

"Dipper!" The other line let out a high pitched scream, obviously unable to cantain her excitement.

"Ouch, miss Northwest. Still the same are we?" The man teased. He as well was on cloud nine from having the oportunity to hear and maybe even see her again. All those memories of the careless summers in Gravity Falls swam on the surface of his mind.

"Shut it!" Pacifica Northwest, dughter of the most influencial man in New York, Preston Northwest, owner of West Bank. What Dipper saw in her wasn't the classical spoiled brat, despite sometimes she could fit in the role from time to time. She was very down to earth, sincere and caring for her friends. There wasn't a single time when she didn't stuck up for her friends under the names of Mabel and Dipper Pines. The trio was inseperatable. Untill the war happened. 

"Are you here, in New York?" The woman asked. 

"Of course I am. I bought a nice flat here two months ago, persuading my career in the Curduroy newspaper." Dipper explained briefly. 

"Wow, a celebrity. I see." Pacifica mocked with her characteristic tone of a voice. He hated her for doing that. Always have. 

"Not as big as you." The man was quick to fire back. "Listen, I was wondeing if we could, maybe have lunch together tomorrow?" 

"Sure. I'll have Tad come and collect you,just give me an adress." 

After clearing all the details as to an exact spot and time, the two friends talked until the clock remunded them that it was midnight. They said their goodbyes lacking any sort of enthusiasm, since they had to talk about so much more. After that Dipper slipped in his cotton pajamas and flashed the night city a fast glance before pulling down the curtains. 

He laid down, falling asleep at the very sight of the fluffy pillow below his head, driving into a peaceful sleep.

The next morning after he woke up and had a pathetic exuse for a breakfast, he opened the Rod, Curduroy's newspaper. He still couldn't believe that after twenty four hours he was to be the new editor of that huge thing, part of many people's daily lives. He was going to cook it just right. The only thing he needed badly was bigger self-esteem. Daniel Curdroy, the owner of the news paper with whom Dipper had a nice chat several weeks ago, had told him that. It was so easy for him.

The man of Daniel Curdroy was a tall and very muscular man. Dipper was friends with his oldest daughter who was spending her summers in Gravity Falls too when she was a teengaer,but he and Wendy vaguely kept in touch.

He sipped from his cold coffee gazing at the city. Leaving home behind was the right choice. Not that he didn't like safe. No, he did. Unless he stayed in Cali with his family, he wouldn't even think about following his ideal career,since his parents strongly disapeooved of it. The reason was extremely dull if you asked Dipper. Oy because his grand uncle Stanley Pines failed at being a reporter and now he owned a tourist attraction in Gravity Falls, Dipper himself was believed to be doomed the same fate. 

He didn't do much until noon,besides writing a poem for Pacifica since there wasn't anything else he could think up for a gift. Perhaps he could, but his natural sloth took the leading role. The man put on his best suit, a black one with grey-ish almost invisible lines and fifty dollars in his inside pocket. The sum might've been a little high, but it was for the best to have insurance. Once on the pavemenr, Dipper saw a stylish black Ford parking right in front of him. A man with button up white shirt got out of the driver's seat, opening a door gesturing the other he could get in. Dipper did so with a small 'thank you'. 

During the ride, Dipper didn't talk at all but rereading the poem. He had to make sure that it was good enough for someone like Pacifica. When he was tired of checking it for any mistakes, the brunette desided to enjoy the streets of New York. There were so many people rushing to somewhere, others trying to take a cab and the ones who were selling hot dogs. When you think of it, it looked like any other big city in the United States, but not to Dipper. He found something so amusing and beautiful in it, despite being here for roughly a day now. 

The chariot stopped and the man opened the floor again. They were in front of the Millenial Hover restaurant where the meeting was arranged. Dipper handled a dollar to the driver who politely refused.

"Miss Northwest didn't mind walking." The man said with a smile.

The other turned his back and entred the restaurant. It was luxurious with all the diamond chandeliers, aquariums and soft carpets. A woman welcomed him asking him whether he had a reservation to which he said his friend's name. He was lead to a central table where Pacifica was sitting, reading the menu. She lifted her gaze up, hearing steps closing in. 

"Oh my gosh!" She whispered, pulling Dipper in for a tight hug. "You have grown so much! I can't believe that you are actually here beside me!" 

"Believe it, then. It's real."

"Sit,sit. We have a lot of catching up to do." Pacifica said, holding Dipper's hand as they were siting down. "You look good. Found a girl already?" 

"No. God, who do you think I am?" The man replied nervously with a laugh. 

"I see." Pacifica chirped. "Making a name for Dipper Pines." 

"I'll try to." 

"Aw, don't try too hard. I need a spot of public attention too." 

"Is that it?" Dipper gave her a lopsided grin. He had missed Pacifica's attitude, talking and very pressence. There was something almost magical in it. 

"Order whatever you wish. Lunch is on me. Take it as a welcome dish to New York." 

After a delicious, well presented three-tiger menu, the two of best friends had still much to discuss. 


	2. Big News

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Didn't edit the chapter oops. If there are any mistakes excuse them if you could! And apparently I can't write Corduroy, hhaha...  
Anyways, hope you like it!

The job as an editor was beyond Dipper's expectations. It wasn't easy, no, but very interesting. He knew every little gossip, since apparently the Curdroys had agents in almost every institution in the Apple. He got to know many people. 

Today, however, he was troubled for the first time. The Rod wasn't exactly your family- friendly-Starurday-morning read, but that issue, in his hands, was too bizzare. 

"Candy!" He called his secretary. The petite black haired with glasses entered immediately. She was very timid, which made Dipper wonder if he wasn't a good boss, because according to him, he didn't press any of his co-workers and was a good boss. Maybe tell them off, but only of they messed up something badly.

"Yes,sir...Dipper, I mean." Candy muttered under her nose, tangling her fingers into one another. 

"Please, do tell miss Curduroy that I wish to talk to her." Dipper vaguely said as he was reading today's issue for the ninth time already. He didn't noticed when his secretary was gone. All that mattered was the rather disturbing headline. 

After a while, Candy returned with the news that Wendy Curduroy would be more than happy to welcome Dipper in her office. The best room you could imagine. With its high ceilings, thick beech floor and upholstered doors, it was the most beautiful office in the world. Or at least in New York. So, when Dipper knocked and eneted, that little thing called envy took over him as per usual.

"Mr. Pines. What brings you here?" The woman asked. She was sitting in his leather chair, reading an old looking piece of paper.

"Hello, Wendy. Um..." Dipper scratched the back of his neck. Usually Wendy's father was in charge of the stream of information, but in his absence (he had caught some flu and needed to go somewhere warmer) his biggest child was. She was doing a great job. Untill this little misunderstanding. 

"May I?" He pointed at the chair in front of the desk, opposite the redhead. He sat as his boss nodded. "It's about this." The man handed over the newspaper. The other took it, look at it and left it down.

"What about this?" The lady asked puzzled, shooting him a glance. "My newspaper." She continued as if there wasn't anything wrong with it.

"But miss..." Dipper started. Words lost themself on their way out. He had to find the right ones_. " 'Bill Cipher - the man who can escape everyon_e. ' " Dipper read out loud the first page headline.

"A headline. Your point, Dipper?" There was a slight note of irritation in Wendy's voice.

"Not to mention the article!" Dipper Pines widened his eyes in disbelieve. "With all due redpect sir, we can not publish this!"

"Why is that?"

"Miss, Bill Cipher is the most dangerous man to walk this land. I heard a lot of things from reliable people. Why do you show such support? He is an evil man,Wendy ..." He was cut off by the woman slamming her glass of whiskey on the desk. Silence followed for a long time. 

"My father made a deal." Wendy eventually started, standing up and going to the window. "With him." 

"What? Whom?" 

"Him,Dipper. Cipher." 

Hearing this Dipper sunk into his chair. Those words hit him hard like a train. He refused to believe them. It simply wasn't possible. Mr. Curdroy wasn't the suavest of men, his job required it, but even he wouldn't make a deal with a monster what Bill Cipher was. 

" Why?" The brunette cawed. 

"He..." The redhead hesitated. "...he understood that my dad may or may not have started the rumour that he is a scammer, who can't keep a deal." 

"What?!" Dipper suddenly stood up from the chair. A shiver went down his spine when he gave it a thought. No one had or would ever have the privillage of behaving freely with a man of Cipher's standing. What Dan had done wasn't something that would be forgotten or not paid for. "Why did he do it?"

"I don't need to explain it to you." The other took a deep sip from her whiskey, making a grimace after downing it all at once.

"You do, Wendy. If our friendship ever mattered to you. Please. Tell me." Dipper begged. The shiver slid down from his spine to his legs in protest. A part of him, an enormous one, didn't want to hear any of it. For him Wendy was his first love, if a thirteen year old could actually be loving someone deeply and trurly.

"Alright." She sighed. "Cipher threatened to kill me and my brothers. If my father was to tell the police, his men would pull the trigger, anyways. He fell sick after the meeting with him and left for Miami. Now, he sends me letter of what I should write about next. Sometimes the whole damn article is sent. At least my father is a good writer." The redhead said ironically, before being pulled in for a hug,which she tightly returned. 

"So, we need to publish it?" Dipper let go of her. 

"Yes." Wendy Curduroy replied in a trembling voice. Dipper watched all the negative emotions running across her face. It was pitty to see her -young and beautiful - so desperate and sad. The worst part was he couldn't do anything. Even the thought of actually doing something against Cipher, scared him to death. 

By the end of the work day they had the issue printed. Dipper didn't intervene in editing this one since he wanted nothing to do with Bill Cipher. However, he couldn't stop looking at Wendy, who deep inside he could feel was as devastated as him or maybe even more. There were other concerned workees who'd gathered to watch the printing. Dipper sea ched for his boss, but she was nowbere to be seen. She must've slipped though the crowd at some point. He couldn't blame her. Dipper himswlf needed a break.

"Goodbye Candy. Have a nice evening." The editor waved.

"Oh, goodbye. You too Dipper." The woman responded, fixing her round glasses that were a little too big for her head.

"By the way..." Dipper stopped his secretary by pulling her by the hand. "Do you know where the nearest bar is?"

"Down the street, opposite the flower shop."

"Good to know. Maybe one day we can go for a nice cocktail there?"

"Y-yeah." Candy sttutered. She tried to fix her hair, rushing through the door so that her boss was unable to detect her blush. Succesfuly.

When he was all by himself and after waving to the night guard good night, Dipper stepped outside the building for a drop of immensly polluted air his lungs craved all day for some reason. The brunette turned right in the direction of the bar and started walking to it. From the outside it looked ancient. Dipper doubted there would be any people inside. How wrong he was.

There were around twenty in there. Not to mention when he opned the rusty doors that a huge wave of smoke welcomed him, making him cough. He couldn't stand cigarettes. His mind found the thought of cutting out more and more seductive, but he sternly told himself off mentally and commenced to the bar. He sat there. Now the question was what to order. Strangely enough he had never in his life fancied alcohol. He was such a light head that one time when he and Mabel had less than half of a glass of wine, his head started aching.

"What would it be, mister?" The bartender asked in a very deep voice. Dipper wondered if his throat trembled when he was speaking. It was insanely to have such deep and intimidating voice.

"A beer,please." The cheif editor replied. One glass wouldn't really hurt. Plus it was beer nothing heavier. A minute passed before Dipper had his glass filled. He took a sip. Beer wasn't the best of tastes, yet better than the others. Thankfully that indeed took his mind off the action in the newspaper, for good ten minutes. When he thought about work, he let out a small irritated groan. A lack of desire to go tomorrow took over him, but he knew he had to be there. If not for him, then for Wendy. Dipper took out his wristwatch from an inner pocket of his coat. It was already ten o'clock, he needed to get to his flat fast otherwise without his eight hours of sleep the paper will have no one to edit.

Dipper adverted his eyes slighty to his right only to see that now there was a person standing on the stool, drinking. The man had beautiful golden hair, skin tone a little darker than Dipper's and, as far as he could see, an eyepatch. The newcomer was in a medallion yellow coat that fitted him suprisingly nice.

"Good evening!" The stranger greeted cheerfuly. Now the brunette could see his other eye that was a warming brown one with shades of gold-ish here and there. "Nice day was today, wasn't it? I think it coul have been better. You?" 

"No. Good, indeed." Dipper replied confused. What was this man's deal? Was he always sitting next to strangers and lighting up a conversation so causal as they were some sort of friends? Or mybe that was what a normal conversation was. Oh, how would he know? 

"Do you work somewhere near? I heard there was a car crash somewhere around. Do you know anything, mister...?"

"Stanford, sir." Dipper lied. He was too tired to talk. Now he had to get him off his head somehow. "And no. I work in a casino. Other side of the city."

"Is that it?" The blond hummed, sipping from his colorless drink. Vodka maybe? But who was Dipper to tell. 

"Fun job, really. Now if you exuse me sir." Rod's editor stood up, ready to leave for his beloved home.

"Didn't you forget something, Mr. Pines?" The blonde mockingly said with a smug grin and a giggle. Dipper froze in place, turning on his heels. It was impossible. He hasn't seen this man ever before. Mainly because Dipper was home alone most of the time. "Sit, sit Mr. Pines. I'll have word with you."

The brunette did so.

"I can't recall us meeting, mister ...?"

"Cipher." The blonde streched out a gloved hand. 

Dipper's whole being shut down. His mind turned black, body unable to move. Was that really the infamous Bill Cipher? The editor had the foggiest what a mobster would possibly want from him. But he couldn't think at all right there and then. All he could do was to sit in fear and take the hand of the man besides him.

"You are chief editor of the Rod, right?" Mr. Cipher asked, although the brunette felt it was more of a rethorical question.

"Um..."

"It says it here, on your card." The blonde took out a piece of rectangular paper from his sleeve. "That is actually a great buisness card. Do you know why?" Dipper shook his head in the lack of an adequate answer. "You are just the one I was hoping to see."

"M-me?" Dipper stuttered.

"Yeah, you." The other replied slowly, clearly sarcastically. "I needed to tell you the big news that you're fired."

"Pardon me?"

"Don't get me wrong. Been enjoying the paper the last weeks, but something popped up. I need someone better. And since you are the chief editor, I'm firing you. From this moment on, you are jobless."

"N-no, no. I need the job." Dipper realized what was happening. "I really do." The blonde looked him from head to toe, inhaling from his cigarette. He ordered another drink. 

"How old are you, Mr. Pines?"

"Twenty seven." The, apparently, ex-editor fired quickly, the opportunity to lie,completely gone by now.

"Huh. Bravo, kid." The mobster put the cigarette down, clapping with his hands. "I'm thirty. Look at us. Two succesful young... ish,men in New York." Bill Cipher spit down over the green carpet. " 'Kay. You need a job,don't ya?"

"Yes, sir"

"And you really want a job. Right?"

"Yes, sir."

"Great!" The blonde laughed. "Starting tomorrow, you, Mr. Pines, work for me. Just come at the adress at ten in the evening." He left a dollar at the bar along a note. "Imma scatter out now. You probably are late for the casino, aren't ya?"

With this Dipper was left at the bar scared, alone and extremely confused as to what happened and what to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I plan the chapters to be short, easy to read. They will be probably around thirty or more (40 to 50) but not sure yet!  
We'll see!  
Have a good time!


	3. Resignation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go a small chapter that I don't really like!  
Also, I didn’t expect so much kudos on the first two chapters! Thanks a lot!  
Have a great time!

Dipper Pines was speechless, outraged, taken aback and terrified all at once. Last night he fell asleep too late. There was this nagging feeling whisphering into his ear someone was behind the door. Around three he allowed himself to calm down, closing his eyes. Under no circumstances could he be late for the... new position. 

He woke up with a splitting headache. Didn't get up from the bed untill ten in the morning. He would've done it way layer, but a knock on the door forced him to do otherwise. It was a postman with an envelope adressed to someone called Dipper Pines,who took it and wished the nice man a good day. 

Dipper's eyes watered.

This time there were three letter inside. One from his sister, the other two from his grunckles. Mabel informed him that she opned her very own clothing botique on the fifth of April. It drew many rich people as well as middle class wives. She'd hired another floor, for a work room, and a girl called Brenda to help her with the heavy lifting. Brenda took boxing clases years ago. The grunckles... They both said Dipper was very missed in Gravity Falls, each of them in their specific way of comunicating. While Stanley Pines was asking him where was Dipper hiding all the dollars, Standford Pines was scientifically trying to deduce if his favourite nephew was doing okay. 

Since this was very likely to be his last day breathing, the editor wrote back a brief, indirect reply, leaving it to the post box in the building's entrance.

Dipper did nothing but thinking over all the possibilities for his death. He only wished it was something simple that wouldn't hurt. Like a bullet in the head. Not something twisted like...

No. He emptied his head of the varios scenarios that were inevitable.

For the meeting, which was a long distance from his area to walk, he chose a stylish white shirt with bone coloured buttons and a simple black tuxedo. If he was a goner, he would go with style. He even dug up his one and only bowler hat from one of the suitcases. Decency was always an unseperatable companion of Dipper, whom he cherished deeply. 

He took a taxi, not saying the exact adress, but a steet he knew was nearby it. For Dipper's biggest surprise the cabbie was driving concerningly fast though New York. It was almost like he knew that there were no people at all. The passanger was glad when the race was over. His heart was definitely not got used to such things. He paid the man, wishing a lovely night. 

The editor walked down the steet where he was left, turned left, walked along the pavement and then again turned to the left. He saw the place. It was rather fancy place to die in, he thought. At least it wasn't going to be some old dumpster. The place looked modern with its up-to-date architecture. There were two french windows on either side of the heavy looking wooden door. A huge neon sign in yellow letters was reading _'The Mindscape'._ He breathed in heavily and opened the d_oor._

Dipper couldn't see a thing though the heavy veil of the cigarette smoke that was filling the room. He cought, waving a hand in front of his face in order to see better. He still couldn't. And he thought yesterday's smoke was unbareable. The place was an antsville. All the tables were occupied with people playing cards or simply having a conversation. 

"Good evening. How may I help you?" A man welcomed Dipper out of the blue. 

"Hello. Mr. Cipher told me to..." 

"Let me walk you to his table." The man walked away, followed by the confused brunette. They smoothly made their way though the crowded place, gently pushing people away and apologizing. The pair were in the private part of the bar, where Dipper was left in front of a table, hidden behind velvet curtains. Well, hidden wasn't exactly the ord he'd use since most part of the table was exposed,so that the guests sittung on it could cast an eye on the whole bar. 

"Ah, Mr. Standford. Mr. Pines and however more names you have." Bill Cipher, in his yellow coat and black trouseres, opened his arms wide as he could in a welcoming gesture. 

"H-hello." Dipper stuttered, after which Bill Cipher's table companions laughed out loud. A girl with strawberry blonde hair and tight black dress and Pink highheels, had her arm around Cipher's neck and a glass in the other. A chubby little man with white hair and baby blue suit was looking Dipper straight into the eyes gloriously. There were two more men- the first had huge body, gorged in a simple suit, and short black hair, while the other was small in a navy green suit with red hair. They both, however, kept silence. 

"Are you ready for your new job, Mr. Pines?" The mobster asked, lighting up a cigarette.

"Uh... ye-yeah. Of course."

"Attaboy!" The blonde cheered. "My dear friend, Keyhole, right here..." Cipher pointed the redhead. "... will show you the janitor's room. Of you go."

"Janitor?" The, this time for real, ex-editor blinked in confusion. He wanted to object so badly. Just yesterday having a position that arranged him a good spot in society, now he was going to be humiliated like this! Still it was better than the alternative, which he had prepared for.

"Mhm. Go." Bill Cipher waved, removing his coat, placing it on the back of the sofa. Dipper followed the man in the green suit,who had a cold stone face on. When they were at some distance, he heard Cipher's laugh, adding; "I know, I know! He is so scared of me! I would've killed him, but I really do need a new janitor to wipe the old one's blood off the floor." 

Dipper Pines burried his face into his hands and let out a sigh, but nothing left his mouth. The last of Bill Cipher's words strongly affected him. What had he gotten into? Who knew. Was it going to destroy his life? Yes. Had he any other chance? No. There was a bright side to all this, too. He still had a job and was going to be paid. Working for a man like him would be a nightmare, but after all he was alive ang kicking. 

"Don't forget to write a resignation letter to your ex-boss in the Rod. Tell them that you've found a better offer." The man with a strange name said icily. 

"Okay." Dipper quietly agreed. They walked in to a room, he being handed a broom and left there. 


	4. Night Life

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter, another update. Really glad that people have taken interest in this, although It's yet another 50s Mafia AU. I'm jolly thankful! ;)  
Have a great time!

After he was done wiping the floor and all twenty-eight tables, Dipper got home, had a shower and slept for three hours. What a fulfiing night it was! Having drinks spilled all over him, some had done it due to their careless behaviour. It was lovely.

Early in the morning he went to the Rod with a very detailed letter, adressed to Wendy Corduroy, why he wasn't working there no more. He took a back door, since he wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone at all. Thank God no one did. Thank God as well that he heard the whispers. They angered him. 

He dashed off as quickly as his fragile and untrained body was capable of, which, unfortunately, wasn't much. The man was recieveing unapprooving gazes from people he hadn't even met before. There were so many faces working in the newspaper, yes, but never once during his time here had Dipper thought there were that many. He commenced his run, that had actually turned into a rather pleasant walk, to Wendy's office. He found her there, checking and signing a pile of paper work. 

"We have to talk." He stated not minding the opened door behind his back.

"Do we?" Wendy eyed him.

"This is going to continue? Bill Cipher. That's the hot topic of today here. So it would continue, apparently." The man's voice broke a little. It pained him badly Wendy and her family were all mixed up in this. Truth was, it was their fault indeed, but Dipper couldn't bring himself to make peace with that.

"If you were at the meeting this morning you would've known." The redhead greeted her teeth. "Continue doing this and you'll see your ass fired." She added, hissing. 

"Actually..." Dipper started playing with the paper in his hand as he was gently closing the door. He sat on the chair with eyes drifting away from his ex-boss' confused grimace. "I'm leaving."

" 'Scuse me?" Wendy blinked.

"What I am saying is that I quit my job. This is my goodbye to the Rod." He laughed excessively. He slid the letter to the woman slowly. She took it, read it not once but several times. Each of which trying to understand the actual reason why the words there, so sincere, were written down. Then it struck her.

"Is this because of Bill Cipher?" She sighed. There were a tiny, almost microscopic, trace of fatigue both in her voice and big brown eyes. 

"Wh... No.. I mean..."

_Oh_. He thought to himself. Bill Cipher. That was it. That was the perfect lie. Bill Cipher could actually be of some help for the first and last time. Dipper said to his brain that it wouldn't be that big of a lie as well. Not at all. Pines was never a good liar, so he just had to twist the words to be the truth. 

"Yes." He took a deep breath. "I hate myself for this believe me. Him even more. Words can not describe it. But I can't do this. Write things about him. Nice things. I... I got a decent job offer. I took it. Not that I had much of a choice..."

"I see." Wendy stood up, fists on the desk. She looked at Dipper's eyes with such fury, that he got a bit frightened for a second. The redhead walked to him, who had stood up too, facing him. She still had all the anger bottled up. Dipper thought that a long wave of screaming and insults would drown him. Instead she tightly hugged him, whispering into his ear. 

"Go. Get away from all this. You don't deserve it anyway." Wendy Corduroy got away from her old friend wiping her tears with the sleeve of her shirt. 

"I..." 

"No. Go. Someday I'll have you around for lunch with Robbie. How does that sound?" Dipper replied with a single nod and left. He was freely walking though the hallway, bumping into people and misreading signs. Eventually when he was out, his shoulder was grabbed. 

"I... happened to hear your coversation with Ms. Corduroy." Candy Chiu innsocently loked away. 

"Oh. That." Dipper lowered his head in embarassment. "I still owe you a drink. We'll be seeing each other from time to time. Yes?" Receiving a heart warming smile, the man walked out. He needed some sleep before going back to the bar. 

After a couple of good hours of sleep, Dipper put on the suit he was with the night before and tried to put on a tie which he was extremeley incapable of to deal with at that moment, so he said it was fine without it. He looked at himself in the mirror and saw that the usual smile of his, was there no more. What a man Bill Cipher was. Managed to cage the happiness of a man whom he just had met. A sigh left Dipper's mouth and hung into the dreadful silence he was surrounded by. Wading into the stream of a sleepless night full of drunks. 

That night turned out to be rather calm in The Mindscape. Dipper didn't catch a glimpse of his boss for which he was jolly thankful. Nor he heard him. Wiping tables and the floor was actually similar to working in the paper - you hear things. For instance the politician Quentin Trembley was going to candite for mayor of New York. The outrageous man had to live with immense shame on his name after the disastorous peesident ellections of the year before. Then you had the man simply know as Rich, the TV host, was going to a high society party, which was quite worth the disscussion. Such pity Dipper wasn't in the paper.

By two o'clock, the bar was usually opened untill then, the owner came into with the white haired man from the night before. The short one was laughing like a complete idiot, whole the blonde looked extremely pleased. They were in the same company. If the girl hadn't been with Bill Cipher's arm around her waist, Dipper would most definitely stare at her all night. Her doll figure was on display by a long tight electric pink dress. They headed straight to the corner table. Waiters immediately served them a tray with dtinks and dashed off. Dipper was finishing a table when he heard a seductive voice call his name. It was the _girl_. He carefully went to the table with a cloth in one hand.

"So, Mr. Pines." Bill Cipher started with the usual mocking grin. "Meet Gideon Gleeful - editor of the 'Rod'.

A laugh escaped the chubby man. It was such an unoleasant one. It felt almost as greasy as his hair. You could see the small wrinkles on his forehead and the sweat resting on his temples. Dipper wanted to write a five page document as to why this baby blue suit owner seemed to be a spoiled kid with a heavy childhood. One day, when he returned his life, Dipper would most definitely dedicate a whole article to Gideon Gleeful. For now, fear of the man sitting next to him was more than enough.

"Oh, Bill. My boss seems to be quite charming. Always so serious. Although my secretary is very gullible. Easy to lead to the bedroom. Just you say you're bored and you'll have her." Gideon Gleeful said while lighing up a cigarette.

"Look at him!" The mobster clapped with hands and pointed a finger at the white haired. "He's so good at this! I can't believe him! What a fucker!"

"Love, why did we call the boy again? Not to sit around, I believe." The blonde girl said exhaling a thick wave of smoke. She threw an indifferent look over Dipper's direction, never looked back. 

"Just to hear that his old job has the ideal heir in the newspaper." Bill Cipher flashed a toothy smile at the brunette, who at this point was too tired and furious to keep track of words. "Mr. Pines,since you're here, go and fetch me a glass of vodka."

"Gin." Mr. I-stole-your-job said, not parting his gaze from a magazine. A particulary innapropriate one. 

"Mai-Tai,for me." The pretty woman added. She then leaned over to the monster to give him a small kiss on the cheek.

Dipper forced a smiled and ran to the bar. He repeated what was said and soon enough he had a tray with three glasses. It was surprisingly hard to maintain balance with them even though he was holding the metal plate with two hands. The walking between masses of drunk people wagging in bizzare movements, who for some reason were still outside and still drinking more and more, considering it was only Thursday tomorrow. Thankfully Dipper handled the order and placed it on the table.

"Mai-Tai for the lady. For the gentlemen Gin. Vodka." Poor man had the foggiest what the damned cocktail that the beautiful strawberry blonde had ordered looked like or what the ingredients were, but luckily he wasn't looming away as the bartender was making and handling them to him. 

"Actually, I changed my mind." The woman called. "I want a Martini. With an olive. Now."

"Of course miss." Dipper sighed. The evening had been extremely stressful so far and the last thing he needed was this. A colleague, fellow janitor, was yelled at and then fired. Meaning more was left to Dipper. Now he had to be a waiter. Nothing was more thrilling than that working all night, literally, in a mobster's bar, where he was getting below the minimum of good treatment. He took a nice little walk to the bar and took the new glass. There were no more than five or six people left in the bar. 

"What is that!" The girl growled.

"Wow, Pyronica!" Bill Cipher took a long sip from his vodka. "What is the matter now? Changed your mind? You do that very often these days." 

"I did not order a fucking, disgusting olive in it! Are you deaf or something? Just put a lid on it and give my my damn drink already!" Pyronica hissed, taking the glass and emtying its content all over Dipper, making her companions to burst out laughing. 

'_Maybe killing me would, in fact, be a hundred times more preferable.' _

A little did he know that this was only the start? Getting picked on every single time. The group of three seemed to come just to mess with Dipper. The night life, especially this kind of night life, wasn't for him. 

He started thinking how much of a bliss death really was. 


	5. A Great Plan

Tonight the bar was closed for civil people. Only two staff members were allowed in, including Dipper. Around eleven in the evening, a hour and a half after Dipper's arival for the day...er,night, Bill Cipher proudly walked in with Pyronica and other people who he hasn't seen before. They all wore a suit and a bowler hat. He noticed the guns hanging from their belts not so secretly too. 

"Mr. Pines. What a delight to see you! Hope we don't intervene with your sophisticated thoughts while we're chatting on our table!" The blond man shouted through the empty room, voice splashing around like a roareing stream, crashing onto the river banks.

"We'll be most kind to inform you when we're in need of something." Pyronica chirped and some of the men whistled, others let out coarse laughs. They settled down, putting down something that looked like a huge piece of paper. Cipher started drawing on it and explaining. What exactly Dipper couldn't hear. Probably for the best. 

It was rather lovely for him. Nobody to recquire anything that would layer recquire Dipper to clean it. He liked how spotless the tables were now. A preferable state, which after twenty-four hours would be gone. During the night he even had time to draft a letter to Mabel. Of course that he'd mentioned leaving the Rod. Since then he was lying about the job - he was whether still looking or if there was something, it wasn't for him. It pained him to do so since the siblings were very close from a very young age. The only thing that brought him happiness was the fact that Mabel would come and visit him in April. Well, partly happy. Waiting so long to see his busy sister was nothing.

"Hey, you! Yeah you. C'mere! Now, I don't have the whole damn night!" Dipper was withdrawn from his thoughts by the woman called Pyronica.

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Fetch us four glasses of gin and tonic, two of vodka and whatever Mr. Bill Cipher wants."

"I don't want anything!" The blond man slammed his hands on the table. Dipper jumed back, telling Soos the bartender the orders. When he returned he placed down the drinks and discretely looked at the paper. His heart started beating faster. It was a scheme of a bank. They were going to rob a bank! A Northwest one in particular. What was he going to do? Should he call Pacifica, the police or appraise the value of his life? Maybe the last one since the plan seemed too rough and likely to fail. Everything written down as planned was clearly not going to work. 

"A great plan!" Dipper sarcastically and involuntary mumbled under his breath. Of course he immediately realised what happened, but luckily no one seemed to have heard him...

"What was that?" Bill Cipher stood up with a furious fire sparks in his golden eye. Fate adored Dipper Pines. 

"Uh, nothing." He hummed, looking down. 

"No, no. Mr. Pines I didn’t quite catch that." The mob walked to the worker facing him. "Did you say something?" 

"N-n-no, Mr. Cipher. I didn’t!" 

"You didn't?" The angry blond stepped closer. 

"Why would I?" 

"You, tell me." Seeing the brunette not responding, Bill Cipher whispered in his year. "Unless _you_ want to clean _your_ brains off the floor."

Dipper's eyes widened. The man next to him was completely capable of doing such thing without even blinking. A cold shiver ran down Pines' back all the way down his legs that demanded a break. That shiver found its way to his mind, vinsideeing, again, how the police woud find his freezing body Above all, Preston Northwest wasn't a good father nor a good person. Not at all. In fact, he was doing countless of tax feuds ever since the war. He'd Never cared about his daughter's life as well. A small caper wouldn't hurt his fortune. 

"I said that it is... not going to work. Your plan." Everyone present stopped whatever they were doing in order to look over the man who said an absurt thing louder than he should have done. Besides Bill Cipher whose narcisism was an obstacle, which he couldn't overcome, because he liked it that way. The man was just starting at Dipper's eyes. 

"Why do you think so, Pines?" 

"W-well, you see. If you want to enter on the east side like you are planning to do in seven in the morning, it won't work. There are two guards all the time there. They walked from this side...all over here. It would be difficult to escape. They are well armed. " Dipper had leaned over the mess the table was and pointing here and there."Good point, Mr. Pines. " Bill Cipher put a hand over his chin, shifting his gaze from the janitor to the table. He made a gesture to his fellow co-workers to stand up. After they did, the blond put his hands on Mr. Pines' shoulders, forcing him to sit down." Tell me more."

"Ah!" Dipper loosened his tie. It was suffucating him. The thoughts of helping a man like Bill Cipher to do dirty Pacifica's father was not only painful, but felt sinful. If she was to understand that he got involved in all this, the consequences of their friendship would be none, since it won't be existing. His head was like a piece of metal in a clamp, being constantly squeezed. 

"Proceed!" Cipher demanded. 

"Sir, if I may." The redhead, by the name of Keyhole, stepped forward. "How can he be trusted? Where does he know all of this?" Aprooving whispers filled the silence, questioning gazes of contempt looking inside his very soul. 

"I went to a tour there some time ago." Dipper sheepishly said, scratching the back of his neck. 

"There you go gentlemen. And lady." The mobster waved a hand in front of Dipper. "Tell me what do you think we ought to do?" Now he sounded genuinly intrigued by what the shortee man was going to say. 

"I don't think I can. I don't have your... experience, Mr. Cipher." 

"Bullshit!" Bill Cipher laughed. "Make your... imagination run loose." 

"Um..." The brunette ran a hand though his hair. "To begin with, go at five in the evening. The bank closes for the emoloyees to count the money. Only one guard will be left at the door. The vaults are near that entrance, the east one, but I have the foggiest how you plan on entering there." 

"Don't worry about that." A tall man with a lot of muscle mass called out.

"Then, there are two more armed guards in front of the vault. To enter you need to be quiet. With them that's, frankly, impossible. Unless you wait half an hour more, when at five thirty one of them leaves, as well, to help the colleagues. After that, good luck with opening the door."

Bill Cipher looked over his newly recruited worker very impressed. There was a strange light in his eyes that was almost hypnotizing. The corners of his mouth bent into a cunning smile, hiding snowy white teeth behind. 

"For the entance guards we do route thirty-five. The vault guys we do number seven. We go at five o'clock. Every thing else goes as planned. Now everyone go!" With this the men that had come in with the mobster, and Pyronica, grabbed their coats, leaving with a cigarette in their mouths. "You on the other hand stay!" Bill Cipher commannded. 

"Me?" Dipper asked taken aback. Yet, deep down in his sub-concious, some kind flattered. 

"Mhm. Let me but you a drink for the plan." 

"Oh, I can't. I'm still at work." 

"Pfft, You're such an ankle-biter!" The blond man made a grimace in the unsuccesful tries to hide his grin. Then his face acquired a serious look on it. A shadow ran over it like a dark cloud covering the sun a warm summer day. "Two shots of vodka, Ramirez!" 

"I think that my boss wouldn't be satisfied when I'm late for work tomorrow. Not to mention that there are no taxis tonight. I'll have to walk home." Dipper desperately was searching for a small door, an exit just not to drink. It was unthinkable to embarass himswld in front of Bill Cipher, the mob. 

"Your work time usually ends at-what? - four in the morning? Do it. For the fun." The mob boss lifted his glass.

"_Two o'clock, actually_" Dipper thought to himself. 

"Thank you, Mr. Cipher." He saluted. The ringing sound of glass on glass slowly died in, as the two men gulped the flaming liquid all in one. The brunette choked on it, couging several times. His insides started burning. He felt like he was set on fire.

"Call me Bill, Pinetree."

"What?" Dipper, genuinly puzzled, searched his pockets for a gum. "How did you come up with the nickname?"

"I saw the brooch on your coat. It's pine tree shaped."

"Oh." 

"Why didn't I know earlier for your not so little knowledge about bank robberies?" The blond rose an eyebrow with a half a smile. 

"I don't posses any. I simply went to the bank once and saw what I told you. Really nothing more. I can't plan a whole robbery,you see." Dipper looked down his glass. He was already feeling like a leave being swamped down the river current into the unknown that lies before. This shouldn't happen, because if it did, he'd likely not go home. 

"I have to go, if you don't object, Mr. Cipher...Uh,Bill." God, that sounded so uncomfortable to say. 

"No problem. A lift home then." The mobster stood up, straightned his attire put his black fedora on and declared that Soos was free to go if he wanted to as well. Once they were out of the bar, Dipper didn't say anything else. He quietly followed his boss to a latelar small street where a shiny black Bentley was neatly parked. The brunette never undeestood what exactly you should be looking in a car, but he was certain this one was powerful and exepnsive. Or so he's heard. 

"Are you sure that..." Dipper tried to form a proper sentence, but words lost their way, sunk in the mess his mind was. He basically helped a cold blooded killer to rob his best friend's bank (even though it wasn't techically robbed yet, his overeacting brain was screaming otherwise). Looking back a few months ago, he'd laugh at the very thought of this.

"Tonight you surprised me. That's uncommon." Bill got into the drivers seat, starting up the car. "Where to, Pinetree?" 

Dipper was reluctant to give his adress. That was probably understandable, since that gave an opportunity to a mob boss like Bill Cipher to know where he was when not working. He didn't want that at all. Yet again, Pines had to consider the offer. It would be a pain to walk to the other side of the city. Eventually he said the adress. 

The car was quiet during the ride. Dipper was unsure whether to talk or not and what. He had less than anything to do with the man altogether. Their intereats were probably too diverse for a proper conversation. And so he didn't. All he did was to look though the window the dying lights of the sleeping city. 

"What do you think about the Mindscape?" Bill's voice suddenly woke up the slothful envieonment in the Bentley.

"Huh?" His companion asked confused, rubbing his eyes.

"The bar. You've been working there for three months now. You should have some kind of opinion about it."

"It's very nice." Dipper murmured the first thing that came to him.

"Look." The driver sighed with an obvious dissapointment. "I know You're scared of me. It should be like this, but at least be honest." He added with a quiet growl.

"W-well!" Dipper was quick to respond. "I don't go out to places like that,so yours is the second one that I've ever been to. And it really is much nicer than the one we... first met in. Starting from the furniture to the drinks."

"Good." The other responded in a husky voice, stopping the car. "Well, here we are."

"That was fast." Dipper said amazed by how quickly they in fact have arrived. "I mean thanks! Thanks a lot!"

"Sure. Now get away. I need to kill a few people." Bill Cipher giggled,making Dipper to welcome the fear that had been gone for a minute. That fear was like a annoying guest, which had no desire to leave but was completely unecessary to the household. "Oh, fuck! Kid, you sure give me a blast everytime!" The blond continued with a laugh.

"Were... were you joking?" The other quwstioned as he was opening the door. 

"Buy the newspaper tomorrow! I'm sure there'll be something in it!" With that the mobster drove away, Dipper went into the builing waiting for the elevator.

The night sky illuminated by the distant stars was resting above the empty streets. It felt like Dipper was the only one awake at this hour, but he knew he wasn't. A feeling of guilt was eating his soul when he recalled the day. He breathed out slowly. Pacifica was a close friend to his heart,a resonsebility to it. The people who Bill Cipher _jokingly_ mentioned were too. But Dipper valued his life.

And he hated himself for that. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little progress in their friendship, wow! Hope ypu liked this chapter!  
Have a great time!


	6. Oh, dear

Dipper woke up with the realization that he had forgotten his hat at his work place. Therefore, after breakfast he went to the bar to collect it. On the door was hanging a surprise note, starting the following:

_ **"Not working untill 23 of August."** _

Four days for himself, the man celebrated a small victory. He had absolutely no Idea what he was going to do with so much free time and normal schedule. He could always call Pacifica for a nice meal and a conversation or take Candy out as he'd promised her long time ago. Yes, most certnainly he could do that! Now, only if he remembered her phone number... He didn't, but he recalled writing it down his diary. 

Returning home he dug it up from the bottom of the night stand, where it rested forgotten, searching for the number. It took him only six pages to find it.

"Hello?" Dipper heard Candy's timid voice from the other side of the line. 

"Hello, Candy. It's Dipper." 

"Mr. Pines! Ha-has something happened?" The girl's voice was trembling. 

"No,not at all! I wanted to hear how are you. And to ask if you are free for that drink?" After a good one minute of not responding, coughing was heard. 

"Of course, of course! Does Wednesday work for you?" 

"It does, it does. Let's meet in front of The Jade Eye?" 

"Okay. See you then." 

"See you then." 

The man hung up. There was a hidden excitement deep inside him for one reason - he thought that he could be good friends with Candy. She was lovely, smart and easy to hold a normal, daily life conversation,which Dipper cherished from a young age. A hint of a cute femininity was also present. Dipper sighed at the dictum. 

His fellow family members were all on the same opinion - Dipper needed to marry now for a, of not a rich girl, a middle class one then. The thing none of them was unable to get was that, Dipper wasn't exactly every girl's first choice. Or any choice at all. The only thing a girl would choose him for was the nice apartament. With his slim, non-muscular body and messy curly hair, he had nothing to catch the eye with. Not to mention the terrible social skills he couldn't get rid of. They were stuck with him, following him like a stray dog though the unfair streets of life. 

"Oh, Dipper. You can't even find somebody to love. How on earth would you find someone who loves you back? The girl you have a cruah on since twelve is married and running a newspaper!" The man moaned in desperation. He used to have a fantastic life. He shoud've stayed in California. 

When Wednesday came, he put on a dark Brown suit and a bone white shirt. A thing he took was extra money just in case. After all he did want to make an impression of a member of the high society as well as he could. For twenty-seven years he was used to a good life and many spoils that he knew were not a nessesity but he rather enjoyed them. Too much to give them up. A decent lunch was on top of his list. Of course, he was monthly giving away around fifty dollars for charity, people lost their relatitves or homes in the horrors of the war.

At twelve o'clock he was at the arragened place, waiting for Candy, from whom there was no sight yet. Because of that he went in side to reserve a table for two. Luckily there was the last one. True, it was in a horrible location, close to the kitchen where they'd be exposed to a variety of smells, but it was better than nothing. Then the man waited outside.

Being fashionably late with ten minutes, Candy arrived. She had her hair done in a beautiful bun, a floral printed dirndl dress with no sleeves and elegant v-neck decoltage. Simply put- she looked beautiful.

"I fell very underdressed, miss Chiu!" Dipper exclaimed. Streching a hand.

"I put the first non-casual dress that I found! I am delighted that you fancy it!" The girl blushed, taking his hand. Indeed she was glad. She took a day off work just to find the perfect dress. She'd do anything to impress the man of Dipper Pines. And whe she was day dreaming, they walked to their table and sat down. 

"Lunch is on me. For not calling you earlier." Dipper announced. 

"I can not possibly ask such thing, Dipper!" The other replied, insistently with a distant victory. After all this time she was finally fullfiling her dream. She was very careful not to expose herself, so she burried all the sparkling joy beneath stuborness. 

"Don't worry! I owe you. Much more than this." The man quietly mumbled the last words under his nose. He picked up the menu, choosing the first thing he saw, which was a tuna noodle casserole with a galss of icy water. Candy, after a lot of asking, ordered baked oysters with tasso cream and white wine. She was actually concerned about the prices. The last thing she wanted was to be insolent. Dipper assured her for the n-th time. 

During the lunch they exchanged a lot of laughs, accomoanied by a few jokes. Dipper saw a different Candy - free and careless. Her whole being was glowing, blooming like a belated speing blossom. When it came to his resignation Dipper found it difficult to make up a new work place. He was going with the casino thing (in desperate search in his memories, he recalled the first encounter with Bill Cipher).

"I'm glad for you. Even though, I'm not for me." Candy fixed her glasses.

"Why?"

"My new boss, Gideon Gleeful, is unbareble at times. Too much confidence, if you ask me." The Black haired forked an innocent oyster. "Always hitting on me! Can you imagine! He must've flipped his lid!" She revolted sensualy.

By the end of the lunch, Dipper knew a but more of what was happening in the Rod. But, he needed to admit that it was too much for him all the talking Candy Chiu was capable of. At some point it was nothing more, but a try not to fall asleep out of deference. They walked around Central Park, went to the harbor, looking at the ships dissapearing into the ocean. When the sun was starting to go down, so did they. Dipper was enough of a gentlemen to rescort her home.

When he walked into his, the phone was ringing like crazy.

"Hello?" He picked it up, head still aching from the blazing sun, shining all day. 

"Dipper! The bank in the west side of the city! It was robbed! My father is pissed, please stay and talk with me!" Pacifica's sobs greeted him. "I don't know who or why. But Preston...Dipper he'll kill someone! Talk to me!" 

"Of course, of course!" He gently said.

"_Oh, dear! What did I do!"_ He facepalmed himself. 

He stayed on the line three hours. He closed the phone only when Pacifica was able to talk normally. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a cliffhanger, eh? A short chapter to kill the time with! But don't worry progress is coming!  
flip a lid- go crazy for those who're wondering!  
Have a great time!


	7. Remuniration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoiler: An important chapter. Heh.

Dipper woke up by the ringing of the stupid bell. Not only that he was talking with Pacifica day and night since the stupid robbery happened, but he was also working today. It was understandable why he was so low.

"Yes?" He sluggishly opened the door.

"Jeez, you look like crap." A familiar voice that belonged to a familiar face stated. Dipper rubbed his eyes and almost fell backwards. Bill Cipher himself was standing on his door way in a black coat and a brown briefcase in one hand. The brunette looked around with widened eyes and gulped nervously.

"Uh, come in, come in." It may have been not the best of ideas to welcome a mobster, who also happened to be his boss, at home, but it was much better than standing in the hallway where there were elder people walking from one end to the other without a purpose, just to fill in their retirement with possible gossips.

"Nice place you've got, kid." Bill whistled, looking around. "Didn't know you're rich."

"I'm - I'm not really... It's more of my...parents." He fouled something in order to calm himself down a little. "Can I offer you, uh, coffee?"

"No, I'm here to give you this." The blond handed over the case. Dipper carefuly took it, placing it down the table. "Open it!"

The brunette did as told,flipping the fasteners up untill they clicked,announcing that the content was ready to be revealed. Three possibilities came to Dipper's mind. First a bomb that would make him exolode as soon as he lifted up the top. Second a poison that Cipher eould make him drink. Thirdly, a knife that the mob would grab quickly and dig a hole in Dipper's neck. Which one was the worst scenario, the brunette had no idea.

When nothing exploded, the host thought abou the other two options. It wasn't them either. There were dollars stuffed in it. Real dollars. Dipper looked over at Bill in amusement and confusion.

"Take it as a small remuneration of a thousand dollars for helping us." The mob explained, gesturing.

"A thousand? No. It's too much! Not to mention that you are my boss and I could never..." 

"Ice it, Pinetree." Bill rolled his eyes. "Don't talk or I'll change my mind. You don't want me to change my mind, do you?" 

"No-no, I don't!" 

"Good..." Before Cipher was able to continue, a loud thunder quieted everything. Both Men turned to the Windows to see the dark sky with stormy clouds chasing each other all over it like little kids. The trees were bending over like magnets trying to keep up with their grandchildren. Soon enough the rain arrived without a warning, ramming over the glass, wanting the comfort of the home. 

"Shit! I left the Bentley two blocks away." Bill Cipher hissed. "Do you have a fucking umbrella!" He didn't ask so much than requested with a deep and scary growl. 

"Yes, but the wind is too strong. It won't work. But I can give it to you!" 

"Pointless." The blond three his hat on the couch where he sat with crossed legs and streched arms to eigher side. "How about you give me that coffee?"

Dipper woke up by the ringing of the stupid bell. Not only that he was talking with Pacifica day and night since the stupid robbery happened, but he was also working today. It was understandable why he was so low.

"Yes?" He sluggishly opened the door.

"Jeez, you look like crap." A familiar voice that belonged to a familiar face stated. Dipper rubbed his eyes and almost fell backwards. Bill Cipher himself was standing on his door way in a black coat and a brown briefcase in one hand. The brunette looked around with widened eyes and gulped nervously.

"Uh, come in, come in." It may have been not the best of ideas to welcome a mobster, who also happened to be his boss, at home, but it was much better than standing in the hallway where there were elder people walking from one end to the other without a purpose, just to fill in their retirement with possible gossips.

"Nice place you've got, kid." Bill whistled, looking around. "Didn't know you're rich."

"I'm - I'm not really... It's more of my...parents." He fouled something in order to calm himself down a little. "Can I offer you, uh, coffee?"

"No, I'm here to give you this." The blond handed over the case. Dipper carefuly took it, placing it down the table. "Open it!"

The brunette did as told,flipping the fasteners up untill they clicked,announcing that the content was ready to be revealed. Three possibilities came to Dipper's mind. First a bomb that would make him exolode as soon as he lifted up the top. Second a poison that Cipher eould make him drink. Thirdly, a knife that the mob would grab quickly and dig a hole in Dipper's neck. Which one was the worst scenario, the brunette had no idea.

When nothing exploded, the host thought abou the other two options. It wasn't them either. There were dollars stuffed in it. Real dollars. Dipper looked over at Bill in amusement and confusion.

"Take it as a small remuneration of a thousand dollars for helping us." The mob explained, gesturing.

"A thousand? No. It's too much! Not to mention that you are my boss and I could never..."

"Ice it, Pinetree." Bill rolled his eyes. "Don't talk or I'll change my mind. You don't want me to change my mind, do you?"

"No-no, I don't!"

"Good..." Before Cipher was able to continue, a loud thunder quieted everything. Both Men turned to the Windows to see the dark sky with stormy clouds chasing each other all over it like little kids. The trees were bending over like magnets trying to keep up with their grandchildren. Soon enough the rain arrived without a warning, ramming over the glass, wanting the comfort of the home.

"Shit! I left the Bentley two blocks away." Bill Cipher shouted. "Do you have a fucking umbrella!" He didn't ask so much than requested with a deep and scary growl.

"Yes, but the wind is too strong. It won't work. But I can give it to you!"

"Pointless." The blond three his hat on the couch where he sat with crossed legs and streched arms to eigher side. "How about you give me that coffee?"

"Be my guest." Dipper faked a smile. "Let me change first? " He questioned with a tone of fear. When he recieved a nod, he dissapeared into his bedroom. He hanged his bathrobe, folded his pajamas and put on a linen white short and a checked vest over it with a classic black trousers. After that he ran to the kitchen to prepare the coffee and heated the last piece of pear pie he had. 

"You have a deck of cards?" Bill Cipher leaned over the bar plot, scaring Dipper off. 

"I think I do..." 

"Where are they?"

"I'll fetch them." 

"No, no. I will." The blond insited, fixing his eyepatch. 

"Uh, the cupboard beneath the TV, last bottom drawer from the right. I think I left them there." 

Dipper was waiting over the stove, since he'd put the pie in the porcelain saucer in a thin tray. The mobster was searching though the drawer. He was piling all the junk that was catching dust in the dark, forgotten. The cards were there, but something rather far more interesting caught his eye. An old book, torn at the edges. Cipher flipped the pages, bursting a laugh.

"A reader, you are!"

"Huh?" 

" '_Sense and sensability_'. " Cipher read out loud. Hearing a name from the past, Dipper forgot every thing he was doing, dashing to the living room. In that book was every single little or big embarassment from since he was a teenage. From a time long behind when he liked the dull romantic stories. A thing he'd Never have of his own. 

"Ah! That! It's an old thing, belonging in the trash! Here let me take it!" Dipper reached for the book, but the other man put his hand forward to stop him. 

"Uh-huh." Bill Cipher clicked his tongue. "I decided. It's mine now." 

"What?"

"What?" The blond repeated with a treating voice, howvere the corner of his mouth quirked up in almost playful manner. There was this glint in his eyes. 

"That is something very personal." Dipper said in defence.

"Oh, is it?"

"Y-yes." Bill looked at him for a whole minute before returning to the couch. 

"I knew i didn’t kill you for a reason! You're too much fun to be with!" The man announced pleased. He was thinkin over how could the situation become even more fun. The rain had stopped long time ago (it poured for around ten minutes like every other summer storm), but he was just begunning to have fun. There was no way to forget that. 

"Win it back then." 

"Sorry?" 

"Win. It. Back." 

"How?" 

"A game of poker." 

"Poker?" 

"Poker. Can you play?" 

"I...can."

"Swell! Bring me the coffee at last and we shall start." Bill was in fact thrilled. He hadn't have the opportunity to play a game just for amusement for a long time. Finally it was time to ease up a bit. The part where the brunette was utterly afraid added a hint of nice atmosphere too. Within second he recieved his cup with a little something to eat. 

"Pie? Did you make it?" The mob asked. 

"No. I can't cook. Pacifica brought it the other day. I don't have anything else." Dipper apologized. 

"Pacifica?" Cipher eye looked straight into Dipper's. "Pacifica Northwest? You know her?" 

"_Damn. That is very, very bad." _

"A-h-ha-huh. Did we start?" Dipper continued. 

"No." The man replied slighty distracted. "Two of three. Here, I'm even giving you a chance, Pinetree. No one had ever had the luxury to be given one before. You should be flatered." 

"Oh, thanks. Thanks. I am."

The game began. The first one was a disaster for Dipper. He messed it up - he omitted a jack. If that hadn't happened, he would've got two pairs. The second game was victorious! He had a flush beating Bill's staright. A long forgotten feeling drunked Dipper. A feeling of power or whatever you wish to call it. For a long time he was a miserable man who was useless to the word, but now! He might've been the only person to beat the infamous Bill Cipher in a game of poker! 

"Look at you!" The blond lifted his gaze up to meet his oponent's. "Don't ya have a cow or somethin'. That was pure luck." 

"It was. Or maybe not." 

"Kid, do not forget who I am." Bill reolied with a laugh that radiated a serious warning that spreaded in the air like the smell of freshly mowed grass early in the morning. 

"I don't." 

With that the third game began. It was a pure night are from the very start. Dipper had a high card,which meant bluffing, or how he called it with one word - failure. That was the only thing he hoped not to be an option. 

"I say all-in!" Dipper declared out of the blue, putting forward the briefcase. His oponent rose an eyebrow in attempt to figure out whether he was making a fool of himself or not. "Last game anyway." The book lover shrugged. 

"All-in." Bill tossed the book over the case. They put down their cards. "A pair of eights. You have nothing." A devilish smile climed on the haughty mob's face. One full of devastation decorated Dipper's.

"God! What an embarassment!"

"I'll see that for myself." Bill Cipher giggled, putting in his fedora on. He took the prizes and headed to the door,followed by the host who could already feel tonight's pointy jokes on his behalf.

"Today you're at work." These words were the last before the mob walked down to the elevator. Dipper had no chance to even think of a reply. Nevertheless he spotted that something fell from the man. He ran to pick it up.

"_Impossible_!" Jane Austen's masterpiece was resting on the carpet peacefully, waiting quielty for its owner to collect it. He picked it up, searching for the man, but he was long gone. Thus, Dipper quietly returned home, avoiding Lazy Susan's curious well functioning eye. 

The rest of the day he spent thinking about the gesture Bill Cipher made. Maybe, just maybe, he wasn't what he was said to be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also big thanks for 400+ hits and 40+ kudos! Means a lot!  
Have a great time!


	8. А Mess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually like this one. Hope you do too.

Work, work, work and more work. That's how Dipper was spending his life. He recieved a birthday letter from his relatives and Mabel's gift (a colorful scarf for the severe upcoming New York winters). Other than that, Pacifica threw a small soiree in his honor with people Dipper haven't heard of, but still appreciated the nice gesture.

At the work place everything was horrible. Gideon was such a show-off - always putting forward how the newspaper was selling every issue ever since he came. Or how the girls were always on him. He didn't allow himself to miss an opportunity to throw a rather rude joke in Dipper's direction. That applied for everyone at _the table_, who were present. Bill Cipher would be the exception. He was sitting there talking with Pyronica. Sometimes he would tell Gideon to shut up,to which the white haired was scratching his forehead, puzzled.

"Pintree! We're playing poker. Come join us!" Bill Cipher shouted from the other side of the speakeasy. Dipper assented, but stopped in front of the table because of Gideon's laugh and remark which abrubtly drew all attention.

"Pinetree? What a stupid nickname! And he answerd to it! What an utter idiot!" Dipper froze in place. Something told him that the last thing he wanted at the moment was to be next to an angry mobster. Bill had learned over the table, not looking away from the man in blue,who'd gone quite. The blond slowly stood up hands still down the table and hissed:

"Open you mouth once again and I will skin you, tear your limbs and give what’s left to the dogs. Don't forget that you're where you are because of _me_!" No one dared to say a word, no one did. Pyronica wanted to open her mouth, but was shot down with a single wobble of a finger. The man stood upon his companions like a tall mountain - unshakable and stone cold.

Gideon lowered his head without another word.

"You're coming with me. Now!" Bill turned to Dipper as he was walking away. The worker looked around shocked, but quickly remined what the situation was. He couldn't deny that the scary mob boss took Dipper's side. The man didn't want to dissapoint him and humbly followed him.

Neither of them mentioned anything. They just walked, keeping company of each other in the chilly night. The only sounds around were the ones coming from the weak whiffs, carrying the first fallen leaves that were dancing with their partner among the countless cars and New York skyscrapers. Something made Dipper smiled. What exactly he didn't want to admit out loud. Mainly because he was afraid of it. If he admitted, what kind of person would he be? Remaining silent was the best solution for keeping the primary picture of Bill Cipher.

They got in the car and drove away.

"Okay, you have questions. Shoot." Bill sighed at some time. "And no, I'm not killing you."

"How... Wait, are you a demon!?" Dipper queationed, adding a few more cenimetres to the distance between them.

"What? That's ridiculous. Where'd you get such idea?"

"Because that was excatly what I was about to ask. I assumed that you could... read minds or... something."

"Killing you is the first thing you think about whenever you see me. You're not even trying to hide it. I can sense it in the air." The driver buated a gut. "Any other questions?"

"Where are we going?"

"My house."

"Y-your, your house?"

"I need to take my mind off Gideon, otherwise I'd shoot him. Whenever I'm nervous I need to shoot something. Or someone. Whichever is closer." Bill explained too calmly. It disturbed Pines how much it didn't bother the man. For Cipher it really was a normal conversation to have.

"Right. How will you do it? Talking your mind off?"

"Are you writing a book, Pines?"

"Didn't mean to, but you said..."

"I hate being interrogated." The blond took a right turn all of a sudden that Dipper was pinned against the window. "Oops!"

"No sweat!" Dipper moaned. When he stood normally with back against the seast, he continued. "I should thank you." Bill rose an eyebrow, still looking at the road ahead. "About the book."

" A book? What book?"

"The one that...you...w...Oh. Nevermind, it was somebody else."

"I thought so too." Bill parked the car in front of a victorian house on two floors. The exterior looked ancient, beautiful carving all over its surface. There were faces, flowers and animals, each telling a story of their own. It had a hypnotizing beauty that was ready to stone you like a gorgon if you stared for too long.

"Let's go." Bill commanded, slamming the door,followed by Dipper. The blond took out a key out of his pocket and unlocked the heavy looking, ancient door. Behind it Bill Cipher's home was revealed.

It was nothing like Dipper's ideas of a mobster's house. It was of another era, the victorian, just like the facade, with a long table for, the brunette counted the chairs, sixteen people. There was a coffe table surrounded by two armchairs and a couch starting at the TV. The kitchen was also visible and was, as everything else, giant with many countes and two winged fridge! It was a little too snobish for any of Dipper's tastes, yet it beought elegance and style,balancing a hint of the modern times and the long forgotten ones.

"We are having a drink. My gift to you, Pinetree." Bill spinned around with two full glasses, spilling some of the content without minding it. Dipper found it fascinating how theatrical the man was. All he did from walking to eating, was an well put act. Spending more and more time with him Dipper came to realize that.

"Thank you. Hey, um..." Dipper started off sheepishly.

"Yes?"

"I've been meaning to ask you something..."

"About?"

"That bank robbery. It was a real fuss. Everyone talking about it." The long forgotten editor let out a nervous laugh. "How did you do it?"

"With months of planning and your little changes, for which I was grateful, note it."

"Why did you do it?"

"Ah, Pinetree, Pinetree. Preston Northwest simply has something that I want." The mob searched his coat for a cigarette,but instead found a small pack of white powder. His eye lit up at the sight of it. Bill emptied it over the glass table, folded a piece of paper and sniffed it almost all." You wanted some?"

"Not in the mood." Dipper internally panicked. The man sniffed the rest of the -what was it? - cocaine and sit up, taking the glass.

"What are you in the mood for then?"

"Alcohol! Many, many bottles of it!" Pines's panick lead the parade of words, which should've been well thought over, but it was a real rush and no turning back, since that cheshire cat grin illuminated Cipher's face. He knelt next to a cabinet, returning to the table with two bottles.

"Don't ya worry kid! Have much, much more bottles!" The blond maniacally laughed, while Dipper sipped from his glass, failing to find a way out of this disaster drunk Dipper would possibly be.

______________

"M-hm, pha, I know! What is that!" The bruntte loosened his tie. "They are not making a fireworks but put a fire on the ground so it shines though the years. I can't keep seing why. Mayor...smart person. Nice hats. Always has nice hats. Have you noticed the very many nice hats of the mayor?"

"I have nicer hats." Bill, who'd moved to one if the armchairs nd crossed his legs, raised the bottle of champagne, pouring it staright inro his mouth.

"How are not you...drunk?" Dipper frowned at his disability to form a sentence. He was beginning to drown in the sea of alcohol that was filling his system. All of them, actually.

"How are you so drunk?"

"Because I...m not."

"You are."

"I am... what you are when you're not, since we are them who are eaten by the hat of that man, who we both aren't." At this pointless and philosophical saying, Bill furrowed his eyebrow and strained his eye, trying to find any logical explanation behind it.

"Right now, I am confused."

"Well don't be!" Dipper learned forward, putting his hands on Bill's legs. "Hats are the solution, my friend. Hats, I tell you."

"For my confusion?" The mob questuined, even more lost.

"For your hair."

"My hair!?" He hissed. "What’s wrong with it?"

"It's too..." The brunette lost the trail of his thought. "... hairy."

"It consists of hairs, that's why." The other dully replied.

"I knoooow!" The emoloyee scoffed. "I learned about hairs. How they grow. Where they grow. Why they grow...Then they put me in the morgue." He made a grimace at the past, unpleasant memory. 

"They're bringing highschoolers yo the morgue nowadays?" The blonde put down his glass, intrigued.

"No! When I was at the medical...college."

"You studied for a doctor?"

"A surgeon. I dropped off." Dipper giggled, finishing yet another glass.

"God dammit, I think I've created an alcoholic!" Bill Cipher said under his nose. He'd lie if he said that it wasn't funny or that he was sorry.

"Door." The drunk man patted his shoulde,drawing him to reality.

"What?"

"Knocking. On the door. Someone is knocking."

The mobster stood up, fixed his collar. He put on a serious face and opened the door. Two of his men, Hectorgon and Kryptos, were holding a middle aged man with pale complextion, no hair and X-shaped scar over his right eye.

"Ah, Blind Ivan! Greetings!" Bill Cipher sang. He closed took the man from under his shoulders and dumped him on the ground, in the middle of the living room.

"Please! I haven't done anything!" The newcomer begged with a heavy russian accent. Dipper, from where he stood, figured put that his legs were broken, since they were in a rather peculiar positions.

"Oh, Ivan!" The blonde clicked his tongue and shook his head with dissapointment. "You broke the deal. _Our_ deal."

"No, no!" The fallen denied, throwing his hands in the air. His voice was cracking under the fear his body was oozing.

"Mister. I am not stupid. I see things no one else sees. I am your shadow, following you in every corner of you little, unsignigicant exiatance. I am the one who _you_ fear. I am the man who knows everything. This is _my_ city!" Bill declared in such low tone of a voice, that Dipper shivered and thought that if he said anything else, they'd reach Earth's core.

"I'll make it up to you!" The bald tried to win some time. He was in a desperate situation. His last one. For ut he needed a last chance. That's why he turned to Dipper. "Young man! Tell him! I haven't done wrong! No one, ever!"

"Blind man!" The mobster cheered. "You aren't allow to pester my guest!" At that, he took out a gun from his inner pocket, locking it with the man's forehead.

"_Прости, прости!_" Ivan cried. Tears were dropping down, body was shaking and aching from the cold outside.

"What for? You paid your debt to me." These words made the poor man to madly shake his head. He wanted to say something else, but Bill Cipher didn't allow him such luxury. Seeing that Blind Ivan was opening his mouth, he pulled the trigger, in the blink of an eye, without showing any emotion. Blood splattering all over the floor.

At the sound of the fired bullet, and the thud of the dead body on the floor, Dipper jumed back, falling over the sofa. His heart was trying hard to escape his chest, his legs paralized, his mind screamed at him to run. But he stayed back out of shock, fear and surprise,cousity. But curiousity killed the cat.

"What a mess!" Bill sighed. "My favourite carpet! I need a new one!" Dipper dropped his glass on the floor, drawing the mobster's attention. "Oh!"

"Sir, should we take care of him?" One of the man in suit asked, ready to pull out his weapon.

"Kryptos! He is my guest!"

"Of course Sir." The man stepped back.

"Pinetree. Let's go." The blond streched a hand out to Dipper, who took it. What else he was to do? "By the time I return I want it all cleaned up."

Whether it was the great amount of intoxicating liquids he welcomed, or something was going terribly wrong with him, Dipper's fear turned into amusemwnt the minute he took Cipher's hand. There was something reassurung in his touch that was unexplainable. Deep in thoughts he went on board in the Bentley.

"By the way..." Bill started. "He wasn't a nice man. He was re-selling my drugs in schools, under the cops' noses."

"But you still killed him in cold blood. "Dipper murmured.

"I killed a man who can't keep a promise. An enemy of mine. It is my job to do so, Pines. Don't be so brave with the words next time." He added and started the engine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, we love a good old time skip in order to make the chapter, aren't we?  
Yeah, you guessef it,have a great time!


	9. Fascination

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't forgot about this, just been busy. Aaah, good old update! Hope it brings joy to you!  
Have a great time!

"Dipper! Are you even here?" Lila, a former colleague and Pacifica's friend, waved a hand in front of his face. She turned to the blonde who had a concerned look too. 

"Sorry, sorry! I was just...thinking." The women exchanged a few whispers. They stood up and exused themselves. 

When he was alone on Pacifica's terrace, he banged his head against the small wooden table. He couldn't sleep, thinking about how Bill Cipher killed a man. The image, even a little blurried from the influence of the wine, refused to go away, making sleep an old friend. 

"You aren't going to the police, I take it. You're too smart to it. I trust you." The mobster had told him. How could Dipper go? He was the only eyewitness. Bill would come for him. Not that the janitor had an unstopable urge to tell in the blond. That was the scariest part. A fascination, born from the being and mindset of Cipher, irked more and more Dipper's inner journalist's curiosity, making him question his morals. The dead man, in fact, haunted him everywhere he went, but there was the reminder of the mob that Ivan wasn't a saint either. And for some reason Dipper was taking in his words for the truth without hesitation, willingly. 

"Dipper." The women returned, sat opposite the man. They seemed too serious, sitting sternly. Pacifica was trying to find a proper start of the conversation. She inhaled deeply closing and opening her eyes slowly.

"Is this because of Lila's new boyfriend?"

"What?" Dipper blinked. Since when did she even had a new boyfriend? It was funny, because he hadn't spoke to Lila ever since he quited the Rod. Plus, he didn't care who was Lila dating. It simply was none of his business to stick his nose in other people's lives.

"I know you were close..." Pacifica commenced. "...going together for a meal outside the work... That's why I thought that you might be upset."

"I didn’t even know that she had a boyfriend. Congratulations, by the way." Dipper bluntly said. He didn't mean it to sound so rude, but in all honestly that was the last thing he wanted on his mind.

Lila stood up with purse in hands. 

"Pacifica, I am glad for our friendship and the fact that your father had settled things with that unfortunate situation. Now exuse me, I'm seeing Deuce!" She stormed out, clearly putting an end to her relationship with Dipper Pines.

"How could you! We're discussing this on lunch! I'll send you an invitation!" Pacifica said in high pitched voice, rushing after her friend.

When he was alone, Dipper burried his face in the soft pillow, letyung out a groan. It was all peachy for him. Getting no sleep, working all night, while having fruensly chats with the most danegerous mob boss, who he was working for. Mabel was visiting soon and he had to come up with a decent new job. The sun was already throwing its last light for the day, so Dipper walked himself out.

"Mr. Pines!" Tad called Dipper, who turned to see what this was about. "A letter was left for you." The old man bowed, handing over the paper, receiving a friendly nod, accompanied with a smile.

_"See you in the park, main entrance, 7pm. Don't be late, Pinetree."_

No way! Couldn't he leave Dipper alone for a day to be miserable and figure out his heart? What did he want this time? Dipper was doing everything the man wanted, kept the murdering of Ivan the Blind under key in his head and went to work whenever Bill needed him to. Right now he needed him to be in the stupid park to freeze to death. 

The brunette looked at his wristwatch, while running to take a taxi. Thank God there wasn't traffic on the steets. He got fast to the meeting, for which he left a fifty cent tip to the driver. Ignoring his unwillingness, Bill wasn't to be meddled with. 

The park was almost empty, due to the bad wheather. A few people walking their pomeranians here and two couple over there, making out. The dim light coming from the steet lamps were trying their best to inbreathe life to the alleys among trees. On a bench, surrounded by a particularly thick layer of fog, was sitting a man with a long dark shaded coat, with yellow hat and a cane in one hand. Not to forget the eyepatch. That man was whom Dipper was meeting with. 

"Hello, Mr. Cipher!" He answered,sitting down.

"Pintree! What a delight to see you in such chilly night." Bill looked around. "I Hope you didn't have anything planned for tonight."

"Apart from work, no." Dipper, put a hand over his chin, picturing his schedule for the day that has alsmot come to an end.

"I suggest you skip it tonight."

"What? Why is that Mr. Cipher? I need my job."

"Because You're having a guest, of course! You don't want him to stay outside in the coldness of the unforgiving winter like a stray dog, do you?" Bill self-invinted himself. That brought turmoil to the brunette's soul. Along with it, a small portion of rapture. 

"I-I imagine that I should show him the way?" Dipper quwstioned. 

"I imagine so, too, Mr. Pines." Bill agreed,standing up with his companion.

The men were walking down the streets carefully not to slip over the uncleaned layers of ice that had blanketed every corner of New York. Luckily for them, thete were no cars to be seen, allowing the pair to walk on the road, abaorbed by their enthralling conversation about the press. They seemed to think alike. 

"Just a minute, to find my keys." Dipper announced as they were in front of the building. The host unlocked, letting his guest to enter in first, heading straight to the elevateor. "Ugh, I really do hope Lazy Susan is asleep!" 

"Who's that?" Bill asked,stepping in the modern machine.

"My neighbour. An old Lady with a canteen across the road, whose speciality is gossiping." At the answer Bill rolled his eye. 

"Do you need her silenced? I can arrange it." 

"Ah, no, no, no!" Dipper flourishwd his hands in panick. "It is nothing, really. She is nice apart that. Cooks well." A 'ding' proclaimed that they've reached the wanted floor. The brunette looked around to see if anyone was to be seen. He ran to his door when he aaured himself that everyone were home or asleep. 

"Welcome!"

"I really like your apartament, Pinetree. You have good taste." Cipher hanged his coat and headed to the couch.

"Thanks." The other man took off his as well. "Is there anything you'd like to do?" 

"Mmm... No. I'm counting on you tonight." 

"Oh." Dipper's face darkened. He had the foggiest what the man found fun, apart from blackmailing and murdering people. Then it hit him. He had spent a significant amount of talking to him to understand that Bill was keen on music. There was a brand new gramophone that was gifted to Dipper for his birthday with two or three vinyls added to it. He took the player out, prepared it and Glenn Miller's voice quietly spreaded across the room.

"Ah, music! What an end to a tiring day!" Bill relaxed in the softness of the piece of not so cheap furniture.

"Tiring?" Dipper raised a brow.

"Oh, don't let me start!" The blond groaned in annoyance. "Ivan's sniffer dogs decided they could get revenge! Now the bar needs a professional cleananse! We won't be working for a couple of days! " Dipper had to be passed out from fear, but instead he was a little shook. That would explain why he wasn't working. 

"Sorry to hear it."

"Eh, at least I get to sleep a bit. Speaking of sleep.." The mob bwgan lively. "Would you mind if I stay over for the night? I'm too lazy to walk all the way to my car."

At that request, Dipper was taken aback.

"You can, surely, but I don't have spare clothes. I doubt it mine would fit you..."

"Put a lid on it, Pinetree! Ease up a little! It's fine! I'm tired as hell, wouldn't mind what I sleep in, take my word!" This being said, Dipper imagined the blond, lanky man in his pajamas and smiled internally at the image. 

"Well,if you put it like this..." The host began, shaking his head, asha ed of the thought and a slight blush rested in his cheeks. "The guest bedroom is all tidied up and ready."

"Neat-o!" Cipher clapped his hands. "I shall go then." 

"Yes, yes. I'll bring you clothes." Dipper mumbled reaching for the door knob of his room. His heart was racing. He searched every drawer for something suitable that would fit Bill at least a bit. He stopped on a cheap gift from his grunckle Stanley (if it was cheap Stanley Pines was buying it, especially when it came to gifts) and headed to the other side of the apartament.

He knocked on the closed door and enetered after hearing a 'come in' from the inside. There on the bed was sitting a shirtless Bill Cipher, dusting his guns. Dipper's gaze followed the vividly outlined muscles of the man that were...

"I knew you'd find something! Here, it wasn't that scary, was it?" The man's voice slapped Dipper out of his trance.

"Not at all! Call me if you're in need of anything! I'm going to put the record away. Good night!" The brunette said all in one breath, shutting the door behind him. His chest raising and falling rapidly, feeling like he just ran from New York to California. His thoughts were all messed up,wrong and all,to the last one, Bill Cipher related. 

"_No_!" Dipper thought. "_He may be handsome with his cheekbones, hypnotizing smile and godly sculptured chest,but he is a pshychopath! You can't be his friend! You are from two different worlds! You just can not!"_

Or could he? There was this growing part of Dipper that was reassuring him over and over again, that it was completely normal to have Bill for a friend. 

And Dipper made peace with that part. 


	10. A Nice Start

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have anything to say, but as always have a great time

Since he was unable to get a decent amount of sleep, Dipper woke up early with the idea to make breakfast, because there was no point laying down in self pity. He never learned to cook, but bacon and eggs weren't that hard and had the least possibility to burn down the kitchen. He made coffee for his guest, green tea for himself and placed the the sugar mill among the other small saucers.

The man sat in the living room and waited. And waited, and waited. 

"Smells wonderful, Pinetree!" Bill's voice called at some point. He was all dressed up, for which Dipper was glad, and with a cane in hand. The man marched yo the table and sat down. 

"One of the few things that I can cook." The other smiled, talking his place opposite the blond. "I hope that you like it." 

"Of course that I will!" 

They are while heatedly discussing the cinema, although it wasn't really Dipper's area. The two things about it were that you needed to take clases and memorize long scripts. He only had knowledge about actors and directors' names because of the articles, which were extremely informative. The brunette found it very interesting the way the popular ruthless murderer and gang leader was engaged with the topic and spoke highly of it. It was kind of hilarious that he also was just another normal human being, sharing an ordinary interest with half of the population of the United States. 

"You could've added more salt. Levaing that out, it was a nutrisious breakfast." Bill Cipher dusted some crumbs off his collar. "Maybe I can return the gesture with a dinner?"

"Well..." 

"You can't deny my invitation, Pinetree!" The blond wrapped a scarf around his neck. "After all we aren't some mere acquaintances any more. We could be friends if you wanted. Because I do." 

"A dinner would be great! A nice start to our friendship!" Dipper returned the invitation with a bright smile, spreading a spark of vivacy spreaded throughout his body. It was a dream, but Dipper Pines knew he wasn't dreaming! The man, the mobster, Bill Cipher wanted to be friends with him! No one ever wanted to be friends with the small, awkward Pines kid. 

But now! For the first time he made a friend without Mabel's influence! Ah, victory! That friend may have not been the greatest choice with all his murdering, illegal deals and possible drug traffic, but Dipper seemed to forget it in the state of happiness he was. Remembering all that tomorrow would break him, but he'd have a friend, nonetheless. 

"Wonderful." Bill stepped outside in the hallway. "_Landmark 1929_, fifth avenue, Friday, eight in the evening. All right?" 

"Sure, sure." Dipper saw with the corner of his eye a woman with a pink work dresses and an apron on. She was staring at them, unsatisfied she couldn't hear the conversation. 

"Who's the wet rag?" Bill asked, noticing the other's obvious irtitation. "Ia that the woman you told me about past night?" 

"Lazy Susan? Yes, that's her. Can't keep her mouth shut!" Pines rolled his eyes in indignation. Susan seemed like a quiet and harmless dame. In reality she was a poisonous snake, feeding on rumours and spreading them, starting fights and lying to her clients about her eye to make them more compassionate towrads her. 

"Lady! What are you looking at!" Bill shouted. "I can't discuss the rent with my landlord, huh! Well, that is outrageous!" Hearing this, the woman stepped back a little shamefaced. 

"Sir, I wasn't trying to...greet you for good morning." 

"Ooh, Lady, don't you start!" Bill walked to her with hands on his hips.

"You can't disrespect me like this, mister! Who do you think you are?"

"The man sending you to court!" 

"For what!" 

"I will sue you for libel, I tell you! I have a very good lawyer! Oh, I tell you, yes, yes!"

For a reason Dipper found it amusing. The enbarssment of the woman, the mobster's acting and the audience, who took his side, that was whispheeing and nodding in agreement. All of this in the usually non-remarable, dark hallway with alwful lighting, in eight o'clock! It all enden with people clapping at Bill (many of the living in the building had suffered from Lazy Susan's nice and accurate saying). He bowed humbly and returned to a laughing Dipper, wiping a tear of his cheek. 

"That was amazing!" 

"That was nothing. If she answerd me one more time, I'd smash her head into the ugly door of her fucking apartament!" The mob hissed though teeth. 

"I think she got the message." Dipper nervously laughed back,not sure if the other was completely serious. 

"We'll see. See you on Friday, flatmate!" Bill turned his back walking down, waving his hand over the head,still receiving aprooving gazes from strangers. 

Influenced by the occurance, Dipper was smiling all the time, day and night. Some of the usual clients of '_The Mindscape_' , Lee and Nate, always sitting on the same table, noticed the unusual expression on the janitor's face and called him. 

"Mr. Pines! I see you all happy. Can't refuse that I'm dying to know The reason behind it." Lee put his hair and order and sipped from his beer. 

"Lee, my friend. Sometines you ask too many question!" Dipper jokingly kicked the man's foot,laughing along the two young men. 

"Dipper, why was the bar closed? We needed to find somewhere decent enough for the tastes of Nate." Lee asked. 

"That? Some..." _People were killed, but don't worry, it's all swell now! Their bodies are in a dumpster probably_. "...problem with the ceiling. I'm not familiar, wasn't here." 

"Everything fixed now?" Nate called, droughting a second glass and stuffing a chocolate sweet in his mouth. It was a real mystery how he was getting away from diabetes with all the amount of sweets he was daily talking. 

"As you see!" 

"More work, huh?" 

"Eh, I've come not to hate, so." Dipper shrugged. He really did. 

"Listen, Nate! Did you hear! He doesn't hate the work! You should also get a job!" Lee started accusing his friend of being lazy and not helpful at all, to which the other started defending himself. Dipper stepped away from the conflict to the nearest empty table to do his job. 

"God, it's going to be a fun night." He encouraged himself seeing Gideon step in. 

In the morning he allowed himself to sleep untill eleven. His day was going to have lunch with Pacifica at midday and dinner with Bill in the evening. Maintaining his relationship with these two was hard enough to think about, not to mention the sorrow he went though every time he lied to Pacifica in the face. She's helped him not once or twice. He owed her so much more than that. 

"I can't figure it out, Dipper." She told him, sticking a roaates potato on her fork. "You are changed. You don't call me often, you did that to Lila. It's like...you don't want us anymore." 

"Pacifica, it's nothing like that." Sighing Dipper gulped. "The job, it's draining my energy. Work the night out, have the day. Go there with this, this and this person during the day. I get...uneasy." 

"I am the closests to what you have for a family here. You know you can trust me." 

"Of course that I do!" But can you trsut me, Paz?

"Here you go!" The blonde smiled, talking his hand in hers. The softness and veracity she was radiating brought sadness into her companion. He was grateful to have her for a friend. He also started to see other side of Bill Cipher with which he also wanted to be friends with. Recalling their first meeting, how scared Dipper was of the man and now...it brought him confidence. 

"I just can't seem to get one thing, Paz."

"Which is?" 

"What happened with the bank? You were very upset about it." 

"The bank?" The girl laughed, wiping the corner of her mouth carefully not to smudge her pink lipstick. "It was some misunderstanding. My father seemed to forget it soon enough. If he's alright, everyone are. Plus, nothing was Missing. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah." Without further explanation, the blonde took care of her meal, leaving Dipper to wonder about the true reason behind the supression of the robbery. Or he could ask its organizator after a couple of hours. 

"Hey, Dipper." Pacifica started as the man was paying the bill. "Have someone caught your eye already? You've been here for a while." 

"No." Dipper unconciously lied. 

"Dipper Pines. What’s so bad about having someone beaides you in life?" 

"Love would be the end of the Dipper Pines you know." The man joked with a wide smile. "I won't be going out,having a cocktail with you, Northwest! Can you imagine!" 

"I can, because it's exactly what is happening now." Dipper poked playfully Pacifica in the arm at her response and walked out. The pair was exposed to the late winter sun that followed them to their final destination. 

"Are you staying?" The girl, who had wrapped herself in a thick coat and woolen red scarf, unlocked the door to the Northwest residence - a three floor modern building in central New York, in Dipper's area. 

"Work, remember?" 

"For God's sake, take a day off!" 

"I wish I could!" Dipper placed a soft kiss on his friend's check, looked down at her. "I can't remember the time when you were taller."

"Just you wait 'till Mabel comes! You shall be bullied!" 

"Oh, no!" Dipper replied in a high pitched voice, stepping away from the door and loosing himself amongst the busy streets. 

Dipper walked in deep thoughts. How was it possible that nothing was missing if Bill handed him bag full of money? Was it possible that the man had returned them? It wasn't something he'd do. So many questions and doubts were throwing themselves at the brunette. How could he possibly answer all of them? Time was a good answer. Yes. Time was going to present him every single thing he was searching for. 

"No, no. You'll only foul yoursrlf in all the lies you are making in order to maintain those two friendships. Is Bill really a friend? Do you know that for sure? You may like him, this human side of him,but does he? He probably doesn't! That's what I was thinking! " The man was arguring with his inner thoughts louder than he should've, causing people to turn after him, exchanging evil whispers behind the back of a man they'd hardly ever see again.

___________________

"Okay, Dipper. You have to choose something more...cool." The overreacting janitor stood in front of his king sized bed on which he'd put down several of his favourite suits. After half an hour, he left it down to only two choices. A black one with white stripes or a grey flannel suit. It was a very fierce duel, but the classic striped black took advantage, since someone had given Dipper a green tie which he was looking forward to try on. 

He was in the taxi at seven to eight and outside it in exactly eight o'clock. He was proud how well he'd calculated the time he needed and joined a smoking Bill Cipher outside the restaurant.

"Good evening!" 

"Pinetree! What a delight." The blond welcomed and the men walked in, straight to an empty table with a nice view to the rest of the place. No sooner than they sat down, a waiter brought them a bottle of red wine and two menus. 

"Here we are my dear flatmate." The mob said with a hint of diacreet pleasure. 

"Ahah! Thank you about that! She couldn't even look at my direction any more after that!" 

"And she should! Jeez, are all people that annoyin'?" Bill streched his arms in the air. 

"Women mostly." Dipper scoffed. After a second he widened his eyes. "Not that I have anything against women! I love them..." 

"Don't!" The other across the table laughed. "They really are like this. I can tell you. Or using you for your money. Honestly, even Pyronica is like that! And I thought she was different."

"Ia she?" Mumbled without lack of sarcasm. 

"Sometimes I want to put a bullet in her head for that." The mob sighed and eyed his visibly disturbed companion. "Oh, please! Don't tell me you're surprised. She has so many lovers even I feel ashamed." 

"Don't you want a relationship? Wife? Kids?" Dipper finally aksed, eaten by his curiousity. 

"Kids? Not for me. In my line of work? It's for the best if I maintain alone. My wife would probably end up shot. Married to my work, I am." 

"Are you." Dipper thought out loud. 

"Mhm. Well, I love my job, don't get me wrong." 

"How can you do it? The job. The thing you did back in the house..." The brunwtte timidly started, scared the other might dislike the topic of the conversation. 

"Ivan you mean? Are you still not over it?" Bill spat out. "Oh, come on. He was a...bad guy. He had it coming."

"Yes but..." Dipper wiated untill he chewed the well roasted beef with rosemary. "...don't you care that you..." He lowered his voice. "...took a life away from someone?" 

"Pinetree." The mobster took a position like he was going to lecture Dipper. "I don't try to play God. I am like God. Doesn't He take lives away without permission? Innocent ones, young ones, old ones, He doesn't care. Life is life so it comes to an end. If the All Mighty doesn't care, why should I, another pawn in His hands that was set with an expiration date?" 

Dipper went quiet. He didn’t want to admit that there was some truth to what Bill Cipher just said. Never had the small man from California thought about this aspect of life. 

"Still wrong, though. Killing." Eventually he spoke.

"If you hate the word, use another one." Bill hummed. " 'Borrowing one's life remaining energy'. How does this sound?" 

Dipper couldn't help but laugh. It sounded stupid. He refused to believe that the mobster could speak such words while on the topic of murdering. If it didn't count as a talent untill then, Dipper was making it to be.

"It may be slighty better. Slighty." He put a finger in the air.

"Are you to judge me?" Bill laughed, streching his legs this time. Was it because of the eyepatch or he intented on doing it, was a mystery. Whole he was doing it, a waiter, coming from the kitchen with severa plates in each hand, tripped over his leg, splashing a middle age man, having dinner with a woman. He stood up with intimidating look.

"Are you out of your fucking mind?" He caught the poor waiter for the collar, yelling.

"I'm sorry sir..." The worker started,but wasn't given a chances to say anything else.

"Do you have an idea how much does this cost? More than your house!" The man punched the waiter in the face. That made everyone stand up in disbelief. Another man shouted something, the other disagreed with him and threw a drink at him. From that moment a commotion took over the restaurant. Everyone were either yelling, fighting of cheering.

"I think it'd would be for the best if we leave?" Bill suggested, raising an eyebrow.

"I think we ought to." Dipper agreed.

The men ran low to the door and though it, eyeing the comical play back in the restaurant. They went to a side street, dark, with no lamps, but enough light to see where they were going and where the other was.

"I thought high society was supposed to be sophisticated. Turned out they are just high." Bill looked at Dipper and soon they found themselves laughing in the middle of a car parking. Just the two of them and the chilly breeze, coming from north. 


	11. Girfriend Troubles

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello.   
This chapter is like longer. Apologies in advance for any typos ! I just don't have the time to edit...

"I think we should go somewhere snob-free next time." Bill Cipher finished his cigarette, throwing it in the black plstic bag that Dipper was holding to throw all the left napkins in. 

"N-next time?" Dipper sttutered.

"Yeah. Didn't you like the dinner? We didn't even pay for it!" The blonde drummed on the table a rythm. "Isn't that what friends do? Go out, enjoy each other's company?" 

"We-we're friends?" The brunette stepped closer, stunned. Something in the back of his mind tried to stop him from being merry, but that 'something' was deeply buried in his head, that he manged not to be bothered by it any longer. 

"Sure. You're the only one that have been with me for so long outside my work. As I've said many times now, I like you." 

"The feeling is mutual, Mr. Cipher... Bill." Pines strainedly stepped from one leg to the other to Bill's table,where he was sitting alone that night. The heat was spreafung from his not-functioning brain, though his stomach dying way down in his limbs. Joy it was. A thing, distand from him in the city if New York. He knew he shouldn't have been proud, but how could he care? _Why_ would he care? There was finally someone who was inrerested enough in him to be a friend. Someone, who wasn't Mabel's friend on the first place. 

And indeed Bill Cipher and Dipper Pines started going out frequently. One day for a nice lunch, the other for a drink, sometimes only for a walk though the beating heart of the city. It was somehow special for the janitor, because he wasn't feeling like one anymore. He still was, but nobody, especially Gideon, didn't dare to talk to him for any thing else beside some orders. Things may have started to come in their place, slowly like a thousand piece jigsaw, but were gathering nonetheless.

"I'll come tonight." Bill's recognizable voice broke the thinking process of the stupidly looking brunette with his messy hair.

"Huh?"

"After all, you are my landlord."

"Oh,you can't be serious." Dipper laughed with a way too relaxed expression that only oassed across his pale face, making place for a worriedly-guilty one.

"Not at all." The blond insisted.

"Well then." The _rentor _answerd with nothing but confusion as to what the mobster meant; what would his coming by be like.

"Great! Don't ya worry, kid, I'll bring only one suitcase. This time won't borrow your clothes. Even though they were quite nice." Bill laughed. He'd streched his legs on the table not minding how many vicious eyes were judging him for talking to a man such as Dipper. The eyes were Pyronica mostly.

"You will actually s-stay for a while?"

"Sure. I don't see a problem. You don't do anything else anyways."

"Ahaha!" Dipper bit his lower lip. He may or may not have had a minor panick attack as to how would he welcome the man. The previous times were coincidental so he had excuse not to have prepared anything,but now...On the other hand, having in mind that this was Bill Cipher, a bottle of alchohol would be more than enough.

"It'll be a pleasure of mine, Bill!"

"Just be ready after twenty-four hours. I'm never late. You can also skip work." Bill got up, waving at his lady in pink to follow him. For Dipper, there was something extremely amusing how the mob walked as if he had no hip bones. It also was funny why he was looking in that area.

Twenty four hours later, Dipper was sweating like a pig.

He'd prepared the guest room, bought groceries, dusted the shelves and vacuumed the carpets, mopped the floors (the jnitor job made him to ftown at every little spot he remarked). He was trying to find an imperfection here and there in the whole apartament, being more careful with the guest's room.

"Everything is perf..." A _ding_, followed by five or six more, returning all the worries he used to have. The brunette tauntened his red pullover, opening the door. 

Bill Cipher wasn't there. Instead of the man, on Dipper's doorway was a small young woman with pale skin, not able to stand on her feet. She was talking to herself complete nonsense, answering her own questions connected to sewing,obviously drunk.

"Candy?" The man's jaw dropped down. 

"Aah! My dear Dipper!" The secretary busted a gut echoing though the empty corridor. "I need you, need you! Where are you?" 

"Jesus Christ, let me help you!" He lifted her up by her shoulders, walkung her to the couch and carefully dropping her onto the soft matress. As soon as she was on it, bew wave of laughter escped her lips covered in fading lipstick. 

"Your home is beautiful." 

"Thank you, Candy." Dipper placed himself in the armchair next to her, un comfortable and totaly lost as to what he was supposed to be doing with this woman, who wasn't herself and definitely not in a state in which she could even walk on her own. 

"Candy, tell me..." He started with a serious grimace. "...what are you doing here at eleven in the evening?" 

"Tehehe! I'm glad that you asked." The rose on her elbows, then she slowly lifted her small body off the couch. She fell on the floor, but immediately started crawling into Dipper's dirrction. "I'm here for you!" 

"Me?" 

"Mmhm, yes you!" The drunk said in seduvtive voice, along a small moan. She put her hands over Dipper's legs, face getting closed and closer to his. The man nervously slammed his back as far away as he could. 

"I think y-you are going to regret this! T-think! Sober up and thi-think! This is no good! Look at the state you're in!" He grabbed her wrists, pushing her softly away from him, but she wasn't ready to five up just yet. Candy ran to him and hanged her arms around his neck, leading in for a kiss. 

" Candy, no, no! You aren't you! Please, let's talk this though"

Dipper wasn't one to believe in miracles, but at that moment he was glad they existed nevertheless. A moment before Candy could actually kiss him the door opened and the expected guest came in.

"Woah, Pines. Girfriend troubles I see?" Bill grinned, placing his hands in one another,to which Dipper violently nodded in denial, screaming speechless to be saved. Bill acquired a solemn face, drifting his eye from the man to the woman back and forth,until he eventually stepped in, closer to Dipper. 

"Excuse me, miss." Bill coughed to get Candy's attention, successfully. By the sight of the man, she jumped back. "What are you doing in our home at this ridiculous time?" 

" '_Our_' home?" Candy quoted back with a certain bitterness. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"Who do you think I am?" The blond returned with the exact fondness in his voice.

"Some...freak breaking into my friend's apartament!" 

"Can you believe that I'm here, beside your friend, because we live together?" Bill asked, resting his arm over Dipper's shoulders and placing a soft kiss on his cheek.

At the contact Dipper shivered. It came out of the blue, it was the least he imagined would've happened. He froze in place, still fascineted. When Bill did that, a jarring, yet burning spark of satisfaction rested upon Dipper's soul. It was a feeling he tried to fight away, but it resisted badly and was stronger than him. Much stronger, thus he couldn't make up a proper relpy. 

"Wh..." Candy scowled, furrowing her brows together. Then, she gasped, clenching on to her skirt and stepping bacwards. "Dipper?" 

"Yes, yes, we are together." Bill went on with the current,saying like it was nothing serious. 

"Dipper Pines, you are a homose..." Before she could finish, the girl breathed heavily and fainted, falling on the floor. 

Dipper ran to her, calling her name to see if she was all right, but since nothing came out of her mouth, he had to examine her. He quivkly came to the statemwnt that there was nothing wrong, she hadn't hit her head or anything. 

"Oh, God!" Dipper stood up next to Bill over the fainted, wiping his sweaty forehead.

"Damn, did she really did that?" The taller one giggled loudly, being gently poked by the other im the arm. "What? Don't you find it at least a bit funny?"

"Of course not! The poor girl, she..." Before he could finush, Dipper started laughing histerically, because it indeed was something that you didn't see every day. He was trying his best not to continue, but Bill laughing aling him was of no particular help.

"Should we, I dunno, move her or somethin'? She's kinda in the way." The blonde suggested, rubbing his chin.

"Ah, yes. Um..." Dipper wasn't in favor of the following at all. "We'll put her in the room where you were supposed to be...."

"And I will be in your room? Great. Works just fine for me." Bill clapped his hands.

"I didn't plan it like this, but..."

"What? You'll leave on the couch? Ouch." He pouted.

"No, no don't worry. You can take my room. I'll be on the couch." Dipper sighed. He went to Candy's lower half and grabbed her legs, while his friend took her by under the shoulders, heading to the room.

"Neither of us will be on that damn couch."

"Where then?" Dipper questioned sincerely puzzled. 

"Your room. You have a big bed that could bare two people, don't you? We can both sleep there, if you want." Hearing this, the host dropped Candy's legs on the floor. 

"Uh!" The blond complained.

"Sorry, sorry." Dipper mumbled on his behalf, grabbing the sleeping woman again. His being couldn't synthesize the offer of the man. It sounded so wrong. But did it really? 

After Candy was put on the bed and peoperly put on a blanket, Dipper closed the door and returned to the living room where Bill was sat with two glasses on the table in front of him. The brunette acommodated himself next to the man, receiving his glass. They said their '_cheers_' and Dipper spoke. 

"I would appreciate it if you didn't tell anyone?" 

"You got it, kid." 

"Thanks." They sipped around half of the content.

"Why..." Pines had to take a minutes for this question. "Why did you say _that_?" 

"That?" Bill shot back, confused. 

"That, um, we...we were together?" The host babbled. His guest was staring in the distance though the windows, talking him a while to take in what he'd been asked. 

"I was curious of what her reaction would be." 

"Right." Dipper found it hard to understand Bill's definition of curiosity,but continued nonetheless. "What if she tells someone?"

"No way! Did you see how blitzed she was!" The blond retorted with great amount of amusement in his voice. 

"Yeah, but, just in case?"

"Don't you worry. She won't, she won't." The mob streched his limbs. "Plus, shouldn't you be worried she'd recognize me? Working in the paper after all." 

"That could be a problem, yes." Dipper put a hand over his chin. "When she was with me she saw the paper once or twice, but now...She doesn't read, but..."

"Ah pity that I won't see her expression." Bill pouted childishly. "What if I remove my eyepatch? Unrecognizable!" 

"You'll just scare her away?" The brunette suggested.

"No!" Bill extended the 'o' in the same playful tone. "Nothing is wrong with my eye." 

"What? Why keep it then?" 

"It looks good." The man shrugged. "Come on, let's go to sleep." 

"Sleep yes." Dipper mumbled, unenthusiastic and nervous. 

They headed to the bedroom, where they both changed quickly. Dipper's head was a complete mess, thinking how embarassing this was, while the other had a total blast with the seemingly uncomfortable host. They laid down,turning their backs to each other. It wasn't long before Bill called out. 

"You aren't asleep are you?" 

"Uh, no. But I'm trying to be. Is there any thing wrong?" Dipper answerd in a hoarse voice. 

"Nothing to worry about." The blonde replied. He then patted the other. "Can you put this on the drawer?" 

Dipper took the soft fabric and thought out loud, without even realizing it.

"Your eyepatch?" 

"Mhm. Can't sleep with it. Not used to." Dipper placed the object. "Thank you. Now sleep." 

"If you inist so much." Dipper freely joked, as of he forgot who was next to him. The dangerous man, 9n the other hand, found it fascinating and for the first time didn't respond anything. Instead he turned his back and closed his eyes. 

Dipper followed his example and in the morning was woken up by the smell of warm food.

He put on a decent plain dark green button short, grey trousers and socks the same color, heading to the kitchen, where he assumed the heavenly smell was coming from. Entering the room he was everything, but sure whether he was seing what he saw. An extaordianary view - Bill Cipher in apron leaning over the stove.

"Good...morning." Dipper greeted. 

"Ah, Pinetree!" The man calmly turned his head over the shoulder, flashing a blazing smile at the still confused host. "I'm in the process of finishing the meal, just wait." 

"Are you sure? Maybe I can help with some..." 

"No, no. It's fine." Bill guided Dipper to sit down. "You can keep a secret, can't you?" 

"I'm able to?" The brunette responded, confused with his mouth curved into a smile. 

"I've always loved cooking." 

"Any good?" Bill scoffed at the response,eyeing the other while Dipper smirked. 

"We'll see." The blond turned his attention to what ever he was frying on the pan,leaving Dipper the view of his white shirted, back. The host started at the other's figure for a while, thinking. Had he ever imagine that Bill Cipher, terryfing mobster, would be considered his friend, slreping on the same bed and cooking for Dipper Pines? No. And who would?

"It suits you, even though you don't want it, you know?" The brunette said. "Domestic life." 

"It does?" Bill laughed. "If you say so, I must reconsider my whole prespective of things." 

"I was serious." 

"So was I." At this, Dipper lowered his head in attempt to hide his geniune happiness. He doubted that someone ever had an interaction like this with Cipher. Maybe Dipper was really special.

"Voilà! I present you your breakfast!" Bill placed a full plate in front of Dipper, the other opposite of him and sat on the chair. "Let's eat!"

Dipper who always had a slice of bread and some butter on it for a miserable breakfast, assaulted the dish, finishing it in the nick of time. He wiped his mouth, moaned still not finished with the toast, thus a few crumbs fell on the table.

"That was fantastic! What was it?" He asked when he had gulped the last of the morning meal.

"Baker ha-and-eggs sandwich, apple fried rings and here is your coffee." The blond eyed a small blue cup next to Dipper. "I see you enjoyed it a lot, huh?"

"It was scrumptious." The brunette moaned once again,making the other shift in his seat.

"By the way..." The blond coughed, sipping his coffee. "You're coming to that meeting, aren't you?"

"What? Meeting?" Dipper, puzzled and mouth stuffed with what was left of the appple rings, asked.

"I told you a while ago." Bill answerd, bitting some of his own. "As my lawyer.

"Your what?" Dipper choked on the hot sip of coffee, the taste of which he had long forgotten. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I'm not competent enough for such position."

"Oh, I know." The mob finished his last ring with a listless expression. "But you are compenent enough for me. So will you Come? I will appreciate it very much." The brunette moved his head up and down in agreement due to the lack of words that took over him. He was startled from the start, but some fuzzy feeling that made his whole body grin, nested itsef replacing all the rest. 

"When is this meeting?"

"Today...ish. Is it tenth already?" Bill looked at his special golden wristwatch, which was showing not only the time, but the date as well. Very_ up-to-date_. "It is. Well, tonight. Since I'll be here I'll remind you."

"Okay." Dipper mechanically answerd, dreamily. His attention, however was taken by a door, creacking from the other room. 

"Ah,your girlfriend, my dear." Bill laughed. The two stood up in front of the door, the blond leaning with one hand next to the doorframe. "If she start realizing shit, I want you to defend me. A little practice for tonight."

"Uhh..." Before Dipper had the chancr to answer, the kitchen door opened and Candy, with her hair sticking in all directions, a bit sleepy, came into the two en, who were grinning like the two utter idiots who they were. The moment she saw them, she covered herself with the woolen vest she had on her and stepped back.

"Good morning, Candy!" Dipper greeted with too much of a fake smile and enthusiasm. 

Candy, seeing the two casually dressed men, her face reddened from the thoughts that were making their way into her head. Her head, though, was hurting like hell and she had the foggiest why. That was not good. Such thing had never happened before and this sutuation then, was quite scary. 

"Good morning." She replied coldly, fixing her hair, or at least making an attempt to do so. She hesitated, but sat on one of the four chairs, still reserved and, deep inside, ashamed. 

"What would you like to drink, love?" Bill asked with a note of sarcasm. Dipper noticed, but the lady luckily did not. 

"What-what ever." She was trying hard to remember last night's occurances. With no luck. She knew the words, they were on the top of her tongue, but God, was she embarassed to ask! 

"Last night was an adventure, love!" Bill noted with a high litchef voice, giving Candy a warm cup of coffee. A sinister smile was still resting on his face. His coment only made the lady's face even more red. She was trying to hide it, but today wasn't the day that she would succeed to do so. 

"Wh-why!?" Candy took off and on her glasses, sipping loudly her drink. "Why do you think so!"

"Because..." The blonde started.

"Your... your boss. He had scolded you for something and... and you came here very, very..." Dipper cut off Bill, who on the other hand cut the host.

"...drunk."

"Y-yes." Dipper sttutered. "You were extremely upset..."

"Feral even." Bill growled. "You should've seen how you jumped on Pines, here! What an outrageous act!"

"No... I mean it was, but!" The brunette desperatly was streching his arms from Bill to Candy, back and forth. "Listen, nothing else happened! You are good, no need for clamor!"

"No, no, no! My friend!" Bill put am arm around Dipper's neck and formally declared. "Tell the truth! Tell her! I don't want to remind myself how this lady, here, tried to seduce us both, wanted to make us do unappropriate things! Dirty minded ditz she is, I gotta say! That's a word from the bird!"

"Oh, my Gosh!" Candy couldn't take it anymore. She was suffocating from akwardness and shame. The red shade on her face was even more vivid. She stood up and headed to the door. "I'm so, so sorry! I..." She was running to the man door.

"Candy, wait! Take some..." Dipper tried to catch up with her.

"It won't happen again, I promise, Dipper Pines! I...have to...go!" Stuttering, Candy Chiu grabbed her bag, throw on the floor, shut the door behind her and left the apartament.

Dipper was holding back mixed emotions, since the woman's reaction was indeed entertaining, but sad at the same time. Bill Cipher, though, was holding his stomach, that was hurting from his hysterical laugh. Seeing that, laughter took over the brunette as well (mainly because he wanted to from the beginning, but didn't know whether it was right or not).

"Pinetree! You are never boring, take that from me!" The blond patted him on the shoulder. "Now, go wash the dishes and prepare yourself for tonight. I gotta do a job."

"W-wait!" 

"Huh?" The blond halted. 

"Why did you do that? For real. You lied to me last night. So... I deserve to know."

"I think I told you, didn't I?" Bill raised a brow. "I like you. A lot. Do you like me?"

"Yes, of course! We are...friends!" Bill looked softly at him, patting his cheek and within a second the blond was gone,leaving Dipper with a heart beating loudly in his own ears. So loudly that he couldn't think about anything else but how warm Bill's hand felt. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS:Also I'm on the verge of writing a Reddie fanfiction because man, did that hurt... (I'm not saying anything else cuz It:Chapter 2 spoilers, but yeah)  
As always, have a great time


	12. The Meeting

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> GUYS, GUYS, GUYS!!!!

Dipper manged to shake all the emotions off, yet still a part of him was all dreamy and thinking about Bill Cipher. The other part knew he had to prepare for the meeting. This part took over (even with a little, it did win).

The meeting. 

It sounded so scary. 

Firstly, because had the foggiest how could he present himself as a lawyer. He had some confidence from working at the newspaper, but it evaporated the moment he met Bill Cipher. Now that confidence was builiding itself slowly again, however it wasn't enough to present him as a lawyer. Was he screwed? Probably, yes. The worst and most horrible part was that Dipper wasn't informed of the nature of the meeting.

Secondly, how was he supposed to think straight after all that happened! It might've not been much, but for Dipper...Oh, for Dipper it was more than a simple kiss on the cheek and a pat. It was someone showing some kind of...of affection. He smiled and then panicked and then overthought Bill. And did this over and over again. 

Eventually he, somehow, convinced himself to relax and prepare his image for the night, shobing all worries in a cabinet for latter, when he'd most definitely completely freak out. As for now, he was dissapointed with the letter he'd recieved from California. His sister had sent it. It read:

_'Dipps! Hey, little brother mine! I can't come at the date I told you. Gabe caught some bad virus. Not to mention all the orders! My botique is famous, can you imagine! Mom and dad are still mad, but they love you as much as I do, don't forget it! I have to see my lovely other half now! But don't worry, see you in a minute!'_

It was devastating for him. It was almost a year since he arrived at New York,leaving his family behind. Mabel, he would give everything for her. Their parents, on the other hand... Dipper dissagreed on a ton of things with them and found it hard that they missed him. Like he cared. He stopped carrying long time ago. It was the better alternative for him. 

"Hey, Pinetree!" A loud knock on the door woke him up. Bill had changed in an entirely black suit that fitted him good (that didn't surprise Dipper). "Are you ready? You aren't. We have to go." 

"I am, just can't find my tie!" Dipper winced. 

"Who cares for a tie?" Bill frowned, shaking his head. 

"Have you seen a lawyer without a tie?" The brunette insistently fired back, presuure pushing down on him. His head was nothing more than a boiling cup of bouillon. The other replied after a short break. 

"Valid point. Take mine!" The mob untied his tie. "Turn around so I can put it." He commanded and quickly tied it gently around Dipper's neck. 

"Thank you."

"For you." Bill smiled. "Let's go!" He pushed Dipper, who struggled to lock the apartament behind them, though the door. They arrived to the car in no time. The blond was obviously in a rush for the mysterious meeting.

"Are you nervous?" Dipper asked, clicking his seatbelt. Yes, safety was and still is important!

"No. But I don't want them to go there first." Bill drove off. "You see, I don't like people who intrude."

"Maybe." Dipper murmured. 

"I will ask ypu for one thing."

"Yes?"

"Don't be so gloomy. You are Bill Cipher's lawyer. The best of the best." 

"Alright, let me tell you something." Dipper seperated his back from the seat an waved a ginger in the air. "How can I bethe best of the best when I haven't even studied law?" 

"Don't know." The blond let go of the steering wheel for a second. "Do it for me." 

"Yes, of course I'll do it for you! Why wouldn't I..." Dipper stopped himself, embarassed. He turned to the widow so the other couldn't see his blush. "I mean...I have no other opition, don't I?" 

"Mmm, yeah, pretty much." After a while, when the car stopped in front of a familiar place, Dipper gasped in surprise. 

"The Mindscape!?" He turned to Bill who was checking his guns on either side of his thighs. Dipper felt intimidated, but it was more like a on-the-spot wave of slight discomfort. 

"Yes, now get in." 

In the bar every table was occupied. Dipper couldn't not notice Gideon, who saw the brunette too, sitting on the usual spot along with two ladies. At the sight of him, Dipper felt like he could throw up. Never had he been so _disgusted_ by another human being like he was with Gideon Gleeful. Pines was relieved he was with Bill. He felt protected, just like the other time. That made him smile a little. 

The blond and the brunette walked to the back of the bar, though a weakly lit halway in which Bill halted abrubtly, causing Dipper to crash into his back. The mob turned to see if he was alright.

"Sorry." Bill frowned. It sounded funny. _Him_ apologizing to someone. He shook his head. "We're meeting two FBI agents. You have to be precise. You can't afford yo make a single mistake, ya dig?" 

"Yes!" 

"Good." They commenced their thirty second walk to the back room. It consisted of a table, four chairs and an old-looking chandelier, caught rust here and there. Four glasses were the only things on the table. For Dipper it didn't look very welcoming and why Bill had decided to take the agents here. 

"Look, I was serious when I said I want you to be like a proffesional. These lads hate me." 

"They can't be that bad, right? I've got it!" Dipper reassured. In reality, he had nothing. What was he to do? Who knew! God help him! 

They waited around no more than ten minutes, before the door opened and though it went two tall men in black suits, guns accompanied by golden badges hanging from their belts. One of them, slighty shorter, had a moustache, dark hair and was visibly older. The younger had carefully greased back light brown hair. His face was way more tensed. Small drops of sweat were rolling from his forehead, all way down to his chin. They both, however, were grouchy. 

"Agent Powers! Agent Trigger! Good to see you!" The mobster opened his arms wide. He then pointed to the chairs. "Please, make yourselves at home!" 

The four men sat down without saying another Word. For a while silence dominated over them. The agents' eyes were observing the room, the table, the other two very subtly the whole time,naking Dipper uncomfortable, but it in the inside. He remained calm. 

"Agent Powers, I have a present for you!" Bill suddenly announced. He groped the inside pocket of his jacket and took out a small brown pouch, tied with a small red thread. Carefully unfolding it, the blond poured its content over the table. 

The content made Dipper uncomfortable. Teeth splattered all over the table, with a clear ringing sound when they met with the cold metal. There was a significant number of teeth laying next to each other casually. The brunette was used to such things. After all, he studied to be a damned surgeon for two and half years. It wasn't about the Teeth, but whom they belonged to and how Bill got them. 

"Deer teeth! Haha! I love hunting!" The man concluded with a smile. The tension between the very molecules in the air matted closer. The younger agent slammed his fists over the table and gtittrd his teeth together so tighly, that the sound echoed thoughout the room. 

"How dare you!" He spatted. "After what you did to deputy Durland!" 

"Frosted ya are!" Bill mocked,the agent lost his cool and shouted words That Dipper didn't know existed. 

"Trigger!" The other agent reprimanded softly his colleague with lots of caring in his voice, which felt weak beneath all the manhood trying to hide it. Despite it, the other continued. 

"I will put you in the cooler and you'll die there! Alone and scared!" The man was now standing up over Bill dangerously close, spitting small bits of saliva all in front of him. 

"If I may interfere." Dipper coughed, maintaining a serious tone of a voice with far hints of unstability. 

"And who the hell are you?" Trigger said. 

"Mr. Cipher's lawyer. Now," The brunette put his hands in one another and on the table. "let's talk like normal human brings that we say we are, shall we?" 

"Swell." Bill rested his posture in the rather uncomfortable chair. The agents did the same.

"Cipher, listen." The elder one of them started. He was a proffesional, Dipper could see it. It was obvious. The man was calm, knew where and when to look and what questions to ask, while his friend was too Hot-blooded and not paying attention to the environment. "We know about Durland. His partner is still in coma. Once we proove it, you go in jail. A one way ticket. Unless you sing, huh. Then you'll have a few privillages."

"Excuse me, mister." Dipper said. "What are you accusing my client of? The murder of Deputy Durland? Is it?" He recieved two nods. "Ridiculously unrealistic accusation, if you ask me. Firstly becaus there is no proof he did it, right? Witness? Neither. So, can I be sure you're not making this up, agent?"

Silence followed. Dipper looked at his client's side to see him starting at him with a spark in his eye and devilish grin that was saying so much things,some of which how proud Bill was. Or how much he found it fascinatingly attractive this stern side of Dipper Pines. Surely the awkward janitor shouldn't have known it and he didn't. But it was. And frankly, it was a bizzare thing to have in mind, so Bill snapped back to reality.

"Look boy, you are talking too freely." Powers said, standing up. "I Hope you know what case you have on your head. Murder of a state sheriff and a federal agent. Good luck with it. There is no chance you can proove me wrong."

"Then _you_ proove _me_ wrong and show me what you've got." The brunette smiled innocently. 

"Don't make me arrest you too." Trigger growled. 

"I'm not!" Dipper retorted somehow offended. "I am sikply fulfilling my civil duty as a lawyer, agent. After all, I'm this man's only weapon to get a justiful process, if in need of one. But if you..." 

"I didn't catch you name, mister." The older agent tried to imitate Dipper's voice. The agents nodded at each other and stood up, headed to the door and opened it. When they were about to exit, Dipper Called out behind them.

"I didn't either, agent. Have a nice day." He smiled with Bill behind his back, waving cheerfuly. 

Left all alone in the crappy room, Dipper exhaled deeply and put both his hands over his mess of a hair, unable to stop grinning. His friend was jumping up and down in exitement, making some random noises. 

"Pinetree, Pinetree! You were so good!" Bill was almost shouting, extending every 'o', while clapping his hands in some rythm. "You were so good that I could kiss you right now, oh!" 

"Haha, yeah...right." Dipper started off with a smile which faded, reolaced by the thought of what would kissing Bill Cipher be. Silly thought, but quite interesting one as well. Wrong as it may have been (and cheesy), Pines was more and more drawn to it. Until the other patted him on the head and ruined a little fantasy of Dipper's. 

"So, where do you wanna go Chrome Dome?" 

"What?" Dipper blinked.

"To celebrate your first victory over the FBI, of course! It needs to be celebrated. I suggest somewhere..."

"I can't, really. I'm sorry. " He was talking earnestly all of the sudden. Dipper fixed, or at least made a poor attempt to, his tie that was making it hard to breathe in that small, sweaty exepnsive suit. 

"Why so?" Bill asked, leaning with one hand on the wall. 

Dipper gazed from Bill's head to the wall a few times. Each more nervouas than the previous one. Everything on the inside of him was burning. His head was starting to be more and more heavy. He felt how the color drained off his face, because he did an abysmall stupidity. 

He grabbed Bill's sharp face with both hands, shoved him against the wall, although that wasn't his primary goal. Withing a second he kissed Bill Cipher. A sensual kiss it was. The softness of Dipper's lips and the warmth of Bill's breath made an excellwnt combination, like it was meant to be. There were a lot of emotion put in it from the brunette's side. It brought him immense satisfaction and tranquility. It was just right. 

When he understood that the other wasn't returning it, Dipper broke the sweet contact, letting go of the mob's collar. He looked him into the eye for a second, but couldn't face him. Dipper tried to fix the collar, murmueing some words.

"I'm... so, so sorry. I promise I'll..." Before he could finish, Dipper Pines went though the door, the small corridor right into the almost empty bar. He was welcomed by Gideon's curious gaze. Dipper was so low that he felt like death. He walked past him without even looking at him once.

He closed the bar door behind him. He went down the steet and sat in a dark corner, alone. Dipper shoved his face in his knees, wraped his arms around the legs and started screaming.

How the hell could he be so stupid? Thoughtless? All those illuminations of kissing the man he wanted for quite a time came to life. But why? Just to fill up Dipper's curiosity.

"Stupid, idiot, asshole!" Dipper cursed himself, banging hia head into his legs. "You can't love him nd he can't love you back! So naive, so... needy and little!"

A strong spring whiff hugged him and refused to burke itself away. Not untill Dipper Pines found the, both, phisical and mental strenght to walk back home. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They kissed, hehe! Well it was Dipper, but shh.  
Speaking of him, huge, sick burn from the Pines kid. With that 'proove me wrong' thingy.  
Anyways, I hope this development brought a little joy.  
Have a good day!  
(wrote half of this on the way home, so it may be too rushed, but don't be mad @ me)


	13. Realized

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ew, this is so cheesy....Anyway,have a great time reading it!

Dipper was stiff and his back ached. Last night he fell asleep on that wet street, woken by a drunk, trying to get in his pants. Apparently he was destined to receive a few punches and kicks in the stomach,deapite him running away - he had to give up his brand new jacket from his mother in order to do it. The rest of the night he spent curled in his bed, in desperate fight with his thoughts. 

He couldn't. 

What kept him was the fear of the consequences of the dreadful mistake he'd made. It was selfish of him to act so impulsevly. It really was,but the other part of him, that knew was attracted to Bill for months, couldn't keep quiet anymore. And so he had to face the fact that he liked the monster more than he should have.

He was still in bed and with the dirty clothes when someone knocked on the door. Who in the world could be in four in the morning? What if it was some crazy psychopath or... some of Bill's people, causing him a particularly violent and painful death? He, however, grabbed a kitchen knife and walked to the door, stepping as quietly as a cat. Stood still there and waited untill a voice whispered. 

"Pinetree. Open, it's me. Come on I need your help!" Bill begged from the other side of the door. He sounded breathless and tired. There was some soft hints in his usually coarse voice. "Come on, please. There is..." The blond hesitated here. "I need you." 

Dipper was doing well and managed to gulp every single tear, each more painful than the previous. He put his head on the door frame and weakly spoke. 

"What do you need?" 

"A...doctor." Was the simple answer followed by a pause. "I think I need a bandage or... whatever. Can you help?" 

"N..." The brunette stopped himself. He cared for people genuinly and for this one he cared the most, without even realizing it. Dipper felt it was some kind of duty to help him. After all, he'd worked in a doctor's office where his job was to help people. It wasn't wrong to aid him. "Okay." He let the man inside,but was Quick to close the door and get away from him. 

The blond man was only in his white short, soaked red in blood, his trousers were muddy. He was holding а leather case in one hand and blood dripping on the floor. 

"Wh-why are you covered in blood? Whose blood i-is this?" Dipper pressed his back on the wall. 

"This?" Bill lifted his hand a bit. He looked at it with pitty and said. "Some man." 

"What do you mean '_some man_'?" 

"I dunno." Bill stepped closer, droppong the case on the floor. "A man with a blue coat, red fedora and black pants. Do you know him?" 

Dipper's heart started beating faster. He knew who the monster had just described. It was the man who... But there was no way he could... Panic was riaing in him. It felt more like a huge wave of energy was talking over him rather than how he'd though he'd react. 

"What did you do to...to him?" The brunette gasped, swallowing his urge to cry again. 

"What did I do?" The blond laughed. "You are concerned what I did to him after what he did to you, huh?" He shouted,flinging the wall next to the host with what ever strenght he was left with.

"He did...nothing." Dipper hid his face with one arm. His head was hurting and hurting. Torn between his romantic feelings and the brutal reality that was calling him back. He was troubled what to do.

"He beat you up, almost raped you and you did nothing!" Bill was now dangerously close to Dipper's face. Hissing each word out with anger that didn’t intend to wane.

"You can't know. You weren't there."

"I was." The mob put hands over the other's shoulders. "But I couldn't run fast enough. When I got to you, he was running away, you asleep. I caught up with him. When finished with him you were gone, but yeah, I saw what he did!"

Dipper shut his eyes to baricade the influx of tears. He didn’t wish to remember what _exactly_ happened on the street, because he knew Bill was right. He didn't want Bill to be right at that moment. The pain of reacalling in detail every scene was more than enough.

"And you killed him? Just because he punched me?"

"I killed him because he beated the shit out of you and you did nothing!" The blond screamed the last. "I killed him, because you flipancy is infinate! I fucking killed him, because he a dared to hurt you! Now tell me, was I wrong!" Bill had lowered so he would be face to face with the other man. As he was talking, or more appropriate to say, shouting, he was spitting small drops of saliva, but none of the men really cared to notice something so little.

With the corner of his eye, Dipper saw how twisted his friend's face was and how full of hatred and affection at the same time. Dipper was bitting his sleeve, so the sobs would die in.

"How di-did you.." 

"I..." Bill calmed down to the ebst of his ability. "I dragged him over the bridge, bashed his head against the road three times and then kicked him in the wall untill he died." The mob explained casually without any emotion. 

At that, Dipper couldn't hold any longer. He let his inner havoc loose. Tears and tears, whole rivers of cold tears were running down his cheeks, falling on the floor next to their bloody brothers, connecting and playing a game of their own. Desperate to catch his breath, the brunette slowly sat in the ground,face in hands. He felt the other knelt down too. Dipper instinctively wrapped his arms around the blond's neck and burried his nose into his chest.

Bill on the other hand, returned the gesture and placed his chin over the soft, curly chestnut brown hair, closing his eyes and driving into this surreal moment. 

They spent quite amount of time there, next to the front door in dirty clothes, when there wsre no more cries or sobs. Bill stood up, holding Dipper's hands in his.

"Come on, let's go pile some z's." He started softly, looking at his friend's eyes. "We both need it. It was a long day."

"What about your hand?" Dipper wiped his face with both sleeves. "You're still bleeding. It's dangerous to jaut leave it like this." He gently took the bleeding hand, leading Bill to sit down on the couch. With little steps, Dipper went to the bathroom where he had placed his medical kit with which he went anywhere. He got out a bandage and disinfectant. When the host returned to the knelt down and skillfully stopped the bleeding and bandaged the hand. 

"Thank you." Bill replied. The other stated silent. "I'll go..." 

"Mmh..." Dipper cried quietly. The next moment he dissolved into tears.

"Wh..."

"You can't do this. You just can't. It's too cruel." Dipper sobbed, breathing unevenly, trying his best not to look very girly. 

"What? Lay it to me!" Bill demanded with pure confusion. For the first time in thirty-one years he felt moved, intrigued and defastated by another human being's sadness. The feeling was horrible. He was never the one that couldn't stand pain, in fact just the other way around, but this kind of pain was something different. 

"This, all this!" The bruntte shouted. "Come here, tell me how much you need me, then start leaving like this!" 

"I..." 

"You were so kind to me and I thought... I thought..." 

"Hey, Hey!" Bill stood upright and got closer to the other who'd walked away. "You didn’t get it! I thought that... Actually I don't know what I thought."

"Just go, please." Dipper croaked, comoletely wrecked from the emotions that were drowning him.

"I'm Bill Cipher, you can't tell me what to do." The man added with a small laugh that would hopefully cheer the host up. Sadly it didn't, so he sat down next to him and reached to hug him. 

"No, no, no, please, no. I'm all in tears, secretion, b-please just..." He was shut by the surprisingly tight hug of Bill, who felt warm, despite of his wet coat. He felt... right, he felt like consolation. There was such gentleness in the very way of how he moved. If happiness could exist, that moment was its definiton for Dipper. 

"Let me tell you something." Bill cuped Dipper's face and looked him stright in the eyes. "I jsut realizes the most wonderful thing."

"What’s that?" The shorter one asked, voice still shaking.

"How..." The blond stopped. "From how long I've been waiting for this!"

"Really?"

"Mhm." Bill rested his head over Dipper's. "How much I needed it."

It got colder. The wind somehow found its way into the living room, though their clothes and right into their bones. Bill unvoluntary started shivering. He closed his eyes in an attempt to ignore the coldness. It was impossible.

"You know, let's go to sleep. For real now. You are tired, I am tired. I had to fucking get rid of a man. That was quite the workout."

"Sometimes I wonder what made me like you." The brunette laughed along the mob, with a hint of bitterness.

"Hey, my stuff is still here,isn't it?" Dipper nodded. "Great! I'm putting something else and we crash."

The two men looked one more time at each other, stealing a soft smile from their companion. Bill made sure that all of Dipper's tears were wiped out to the last one. Dipper on his behalf, made sure not to cry anymore. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: Man, it took me longer than it should've... Bruh...


	14. Jealousy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. I haven't beein on AO3 for a month, for which I do apologize. But now I am here to grace your life with this...story thingy. Apologize for the short chapter, literally wrote it at one. But I never really edit my chapters, whoops.   
Ok boomers, have a great time!

Dipper rapidly got used to waking up to warm arms wrapped around his waist, a huge smile on his face and sparkles in his eyes. Today was such day with the small differences that the warmth was absent.

The brunette rubbed his eyes, looked around, serching for the blond man. His pajamas were carefully put on the chair next to the bed. Dipper was too sleep follow his examples, so he just put on his slippers. He made his way to the living room,entering which, he slighty jumped back at the sight of Bill reading a newspaper and sipping coffee. 

"Ah, Pinetree! Good morning! How are we feeling?" The blond put everything down and turned to the other. 

"I'm great I just..." Yes, Dipper got used to it, living with the man, but he couldn't figure just yet if Bill was as comfortable as him. "It is weird." 

"Huh?" 

"This." Dipper waved at the apartament. "Because I..." He stopped himself with a great number of effort and deep, red blush on his face. The tall man responded with a mocking, self pleased grin, resting his arms over Dipper's shoulders.

"You what?" He asked, innocently. 

"Nothing. I meant to say sorry for the other day. You shouldn't have seen me like that..." The brunette started murmuring some excuse. 

"Don't be so serious you stud." Bill laughed, making the blush even redder, if it was possible at that point. 

"Because I love you too." 

These were the words. These were the words Dipper secretly craved to hear. The words he needed. The words that made him melt internally. His limbs started shaking out of exitement. Bill must've thought he had some kind of mild stroke, since the look on his face turned into a very concerned one within seconds.

"Did you just say that you loved me?" It was Dipper's turn to mock the blond. "Did the greatest terror of the police, the merciless killer, loves a poor boy from California, huh!" 

"Oh, shut it!" Bill mixed a groan and a hiss in one. "You were delivered a letter. Go check it." The man, who'd taken his coat off the hanger, spilled a couple of hundred dollar and started counting them. 

Pleased with what he's achieved, Dipper sat down next to him, reading the letter. It was from Wendy who was inviting him to a diner in her humble household. 

"Oh!" He exclaimed out loud. 

"What is it?" 

"Ah, from Wendy Corduroy. A dinner tonight." 

"Can I come too?" Dipper laughed at the question. 

"I'm sure she'll be delighted to see you. And see me with you." 

"You're right." Bill rubbed his chin with a concerned look on his face. "And no everything is fine in the Rod, I don't wanna ruin it."

Some quietness followed. Dipper got somber for a moment. He thought how much he liked being with Bill, but how much he was hurting the others he cared for. He had absolutely no idea what to do. The happiness he was filled whenever he found the blond sitting on the couch reading or in the kitchen with a silly apron around his waist, was something Dipper Pines wasn't ready to let go off. For the first time in his life he managed to achieve a thing so sacred for him, all by himself.

"What happened? Did I say anything?" Bill's voice interupted.

"I...was just thinking." Dipper laid down the couch, resting his head on Bill's legs. A moment latter, the other man leaned over and placed a damp kiss on his temple. "Ugh, you had to do it, didn't you!" The brunette protested, but only protested. 

"Yeah I had." The blond chuckled, still counting the money, adding with a hidden sadness. "Are you going to the thing tonight?" 

"Of course! But don't worry, I'll leave early so that I can make it in time for work." 

"Work? What work?" The mob questioned, raising a brow. 

"Yeah. Well, It's become my job, more or less." 

"My, my." Bill clapped his hands together,standing up. "I thought I was too bad of a comedian." He scoffed, at Dipper's grimace due to the loss of the warmth and then took the brunette in his arms, bridal style and spun once, then second and third time. 

"Okay, that's, stop! You'll get dizzy and we'll fall! I don't want to die today! Or any time soon, in fact." Dipper complained as the other gazed lovingly at him. 

"I'll tell you a secret." Bill stated, still not lwtting the brunette step on the ground. "You're not climbing the six foot ladder on my watch!" 

"Mhm..." Dipper smirked. He placed one hand over the blond's neck, leaving a trail of soft kisses all the way to the nape where he burried his nose, mumbling something like: "I have to go to dinner." 

"What if I don't let you?" 

"Then Wendy will personlly come to strangle me. She is very punctual." 

"So I've heard." Bill Cipher put Dipper on the ground with a baffled expresion. He went back to the sofa where he continued to count the few hundred dollar that were having a true vacation on the table.

"Aw, are you jealous?" The owner of the apartament made a pouted face just to gloat. He felt pride in doing so. Not only did he found someone he could be himself around, but the person have him the strenght to do so. It didn't matter whether it was Bill who loved Dipper or Dipper who loved Bill, either option was true. 

"What? No! Of course not. Where'd you grt such idea? Your bag full of jokes? Haha, look at me, laughing!" 

It was trurly a magnificently amusing spectacle to watch Bill wandered around, face red,his hands mimic every word that came from his mouth. Dipper had a first-row-golden ticket to the show. In all honesty it deserved at least a dozen Oscars including the one for best male leading role. Bill Cipher so genuinly was pulling all kind of grimaces and layers of jealousy leaving, Pines astonished.

"...and so on, and so on! You see what I say!" The blond eventually ended his rant for whatever he was ranting about. 

"Mmh, yes, but I have to attend a dinner party, if you don't mind." 

"I do." 

"No you don't. Come on attend your own business. I thought your life was mildly boring in my company, so go and entertain yourself with something. Or someone. Pyronica would be an excellent choice, if you ask me." Dipper immediately shut his mouth. It came out the wrong way. He heard the annoyance in his own voice, instead of the joking manner he was going for. 

"Sorry."

Bill didn't say a word, but turned around to grab his gun. He lit up a cigarette, even though he knew Dipper couldn't stand them, waved him goodbye with a simple sentence.

"I'll be back at five or six."

The brunette mentally reprimanted himself for being such an idiot. For all he knew Bill and Pyronica's relationship was a complex one. It was just that Dipper was utterly annoyed by the looks the woman was giving the mob. Ir the fct how he returned every single one. It was just...wrong.

And it felt painful. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PS: jk, y'all aren't boomers, y'all baes. 😌


	15. Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, y'all. Hi. I actually forgot to post. BUT here you have a small little chapter that I hope you will enjoy as much as possible... (hopefully).  
Apologies for the typos.

Everything was fine untill it got awrkward. It turned out that Candy was invited to the dinner too. Dipper couldn't even bring himself to look her in the eyes. Neither did she.

Not that they made it seem like a problem. Just the opposite. They both were engaging in the converastions flawlessly. It took Dipper aback how much Candy had changed. She didn't wear her glasses anymore. Her face make-up was skillfuly done in accordance with her features. Now she was wearing the latest model dress and had exepnsive looking jewelry resting over her chest. Not that he was looking there. 

His mind couldn't understand. What did other males saw in female that made them go warewolf? There was nothing interesting about a woman's appearence. Sure Dipper could tell who was beautiful and who wasn't, but that was it. There weren't any thought, dreams ot desires. However, whenever he briefly thoughed about Bill, his heart was reafy to run away. 

Wendy looked good too. She was radiating with genuine happiness. Her husband, a jazz musician Robert 'Robbie' Valentino, was present at the table. Dipper knew him from before. Now he was reserved, polite and nice to other people. The person he was now didn't have anything to do with the bratty bogus he used to be six years ago.

"So Dipper, where are you working now?" Robbie asked,sipping from the refilled wine glass.

"In a casino. It is less exciting than it sounds, I assure you."

"Is that so?"

"Yes. There are tons of people, giving you a splitting headache with every word that they say." Dipper couldn't help but overact a bit. He was not particularly fond of the topic. For one, it was unpleasant lying to a person he counted on such as Wendy.

"You talkin' to me? In the club there are idiots non-stop." The host passionately took a glass in hand. "I tell you friend,people are crazy out there. They think they can do everything. The mobsters," Dipper slighty shifted in his seat. "...who are killing left and right. I thought we were civil." 

"Robbie, I think that's enough. Let's talk about how you are going on tour! Twenty plus states!" His wife interfered with a nervous smile. 

"No, no. Let me finish!" Valentino insisted with a growl. "People don't see what we've become. We are supposed to be intelligent, diplomatic. Instead we behave like a bunch of animals. Half of New York dead. And for what? A couple of thousand dollars. Hell if it was for me, I would've put 'em all in the cooler! Ain' t that a word from a bird! "

"Rob..." Wnedy warned with a low tone of a voice and a sparkles of irritation in the captivating brown eyes. 

"Excuse me ladies, but, Dipper here will get it, the damned mobsters and the reds deserve nothing but a bullet in the head. Right, Mr.Pines? We work our asses here, and What do they do? Show up, shoot, take and go. That Cipher guy?" Dipper gulped nervously. "Hell he is the absolute worst! Tell me I'm wr..."

"That's enough!" Wendy allowed herself to raise her voice high enough to be heard in every corner of the house. Candy had gone pale, folding a napkin in her hands, timidly. For the first time she looked into Dipper's eyes. He smiled at her as if to calm her down. She returned the favour. 

"Wendy, I apologize, but I have to go. Me and Blendin have business to attend to tomorrow. If you don't mind." Candy then politely shot everyone a smile and slowly got up. 

"Yes, yes! Of course!" Wendy pulled her carefully into a hug, whislering something in her ear. "Robert will provide you with a drive back home. Isn't that correct Robert?" The redhead raised a brow. She wasn't asking. She was demanding. 

"What kind of gentlemen I would be if I don't?" Robbie smiled. "Don't get so fristed next time." He hissed loudly enough for Dipper to hear him into his wife's face as he placed a kiss on her cheek.

When Robbie and Candy were absent from the delightful room, Dipper searched for the courage to ask what had been bothering him the past three hours. It was an extremely delicate matter, needed to be served even more delicately. 

"Wendy?" He started.

"Mhm?"

"You are married."

"Good observation."

"I mean, you love him, Robbie, don't you?" Dipper continued.

"Of course. Although at times like this, I hate him." The redhead hid her large smile when she bit of the steak.

"How do you know you love him, then. Is there... I dunno... A feeling?" 

"A feeling?!" Wendy choked on her red wine, laughing. "There are a lot of feelings. Firstly, you feel like they are near you all the time and You have the desire to spend as much time as possible with them." 

_"But I don't. I feel close to him all the time!"_

_"_You feel when something is not right with them." 

_"I don't feel it. I Know it. Like that one time when he didn't want to tell me but then I understood Gideon had fucked up in the paper..."_

"Of course, you feel like you can die without them."

"_Quite the opposite actually."_

"Well there are a lot of stuff about love. It is something utterly necessary for you in order to feel...everything,to feel what life is." Wendy smiled. Within second her expression turned into a sinister one. "Is this all about Candy? You love her, but now she got that baby-looking, bald Blendin?"

"What? No. Candy is a friend really."

"Oh? Who is she then?" Wendy raised a brow, shipping her last drop of alchohol.

Dipper's being stinged and his face made an unvoluntary grimace, showing how uncomfortable those words made him feel. He was far from understanding why people had to assume every detail in the others' lives. What he meant was that,this was the guess that was most logical. But Wendy certainly hasn't seen Bill Cipher without a shirt on.

_"That went a little too far, don't you think!" _Dipper mentally reprimanded himself with an urgent need to slap himself.

"You don't know her." He spat the most cliched answer to have ever existed. "For me, though." He started off very philosophically. "Love is what you feel...however you feel it. Based in what you said, I don't love h...er. But you helped me realize just how much h...she is to me." Dipper confidently stated.

He trurly felt alive at that moment. There little to no words to describe Dipper Pines's state when he got to the conclusion he was in love. The back of his mind, the narrator of his life, was relieved and tired of all the hints it had been throwing at him.

"Wendy, I have to go. Thanks for the lovely evening!" He put on his coat kissed Wendy Goodbye on the forehead and beat his feet.

As soon as he was outside, in a taxi, he pulled out his keys. Never before had he felt so nervous. His mind was a complete mess. There weren't that many feeling. The only present were excitement, anxiety and dizziness. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought that he was in love with Bill Cipher, that he loved with Bill Cipher,gave Bill Cipher a key to his flat and he'd kissed Bill Cipher. It sounded odd, unreal, yet right and so real. 

When the taxi stopped, the passanger left some dollars in the driver's hand and stormed away, without saying any sort of goodbye. He ran all the way to the elevator,getting a glare from Susan, who was watering the plants. Usuallly, he'd be irritated, but now he couldn't care less for her.

When the doors opened and he found himself in front oh his flat he stood still. Doubt over took his confidence. What if Bill didn't want that? What if he never spoke to Dipper again? What if he just...left? The man closed his eyes. He thought.

"If I love him I won't be asking myself all of this. If he loves me back, he'll stay."

That was the moment when quickly inserted the key in the keyhole with the familiar clicking noise. He took a moment to see if there was anyone at home. There was. Bill was wearing something unusual- overalls and a plain white T-shirt.

"Hey." The blond greeted. "How was the dinner? Something that I should be aware of?" He stood up from the armhair, leaving the newspaper on the coffee table.

"No." Dipper croaked. He gently placed the key on the keyholder and turned to Bill again. 

"Why do you look so cranked?" Bill frowned. "What happened? Did something bad happened to you? Is it because of me? What I said?" The brunette shook his head. "Then what? Lay it on me, come on!" 

For the first time forever Bill Cipher begged someone to talk with him. He was worried that he'd done something wrong. His head was invade by countless possible scenarios of how he'd fucked up. He felt so little in compafison with the man opposite him at that moment. There was just one thing he wanted - to get an answer,because he was starting to shake like a leaf. The next moment everything around him became meaningless and blurry as he meleted down. 

There was this freezing feeling of Dipper's fingers softly brushing against Bill's neck. The brunette's righ hand slowly made a succeful attempt to remove the damned, useless eyepatch. He then stared into the mixture of gold and amber, a hypnotyzing vertigo that were Bill Cipher's eyes. A whole small universe with countless stars that were waiting there yo be taken away. 

Dipper Pines was oozing impatience. His body was burning from the increasing stress levels, but it burned even more under the touch of Bill, whose hands were tightly around his waist. 

And then Bill Cipher lost himself into the phisical vicinity of someone else. Dipper had yet again kissed him. This Kiss had nothing in common with their very first one. This time it was much more sensual and rough. Dipper knew what he was doing and how to do it. His lips brushed against Bill's in a careless manner. Dipper felt immense inflow of every feeling that could exist when the taller man returned the kiss with his dry lips and breath stinking of everything Dipper hated, yet it became all he loved now. 

Bill pushed the brunnete against the kitchen door. His hands were running from Dipper's neck to his hips and all the way back, just to do the same again and again. He lift the other up with a sincere smile. Never had he been so geniunly ecstatic before. And Bill was with a lot of women. 

Dipper wrapped his legs around Bill's wait, arms rested on his shoulders, head on the utterly un comfortable wooden surface. The feeling, that blessed feeling of the damned, cold lips of fucking mobster against his neck, made him let out a moan that echoed in the whole flat. Bill didn't mind it though. In fact, he grined maliciously. He desperatly needed to tarnish the man he was holding in his arms. 

"Hey." Bill whispered to the brunette, who was breathing heavily with his eyes closed. 

"Uh...Uh-huh?" Was the peevish answer he got. 

"I'll tell you something." Said Bill while lifting Dipper once again. This time he carried him on his arms to the door of the bedroom. "I think I love you." 

"Love? Love you say..." Dipper whined,refusing to get on his feet. "I'll tell you something as well." 

"And what would that be?" The blond looked the man right into the eyes,as he was challenging him. 

"I think I just might love you back." 

After this response, they both smiled widely and enclosed the spave between them, as Bill kicked the door quiet hard and entered in the dark room that had everything he'd ever dreamt of. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah, yes. A million chapters in and they fucked.  
Let me just say a few things. Firstly, I am bad with intimate scenes in general so excuse me and please, please don't judge me too hard. I mean, I tried at least... Secondly, I really wanted to write smut, you know. But I am not good enough, unfortunately. So I decided it was for the better not to do it.  
Aaand now I'm embarassed, so ima head out. Have a great time!


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